Trappe Shot’s juvenile son Untrapped earned TDN Rising Star status when he cruised to a convincing 5 ¼-length victory in the eighth race at Churchill Downs Nov. 20.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Untrapped entered the starting gate as the 6-5 favorite. After stalking the pace set by Adulation, he made a four-wide move on the turn and easily took over the lead in the home stretch. He completed the 6 ½-furlong race under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. in 1:17.28.
Owned by Michael Langord, Untrapped was making his second career start in the $58,811 contest. He previously finished a respectable second behind other TDN Rising Star Uncontested at Keeneland Oct. 19. In that race, he broke dead last, made an impressive wide rally on the far turn, and earned a 77 Beyer for his runner-up effort.
Untrapped has been through the auction ring three times. He brought $97,000 as a yearling at the 2015 Keeneland January mixed sale, after which he fetched $150,000 the same year at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Most recently, he was bought for $125,000 by Langford at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.
Bred in Kentucky by Indian Creek and Jonathan Sheppard, Untrapped is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Exit Three. His second dam, the Horse Chestnut mare Castanea, is a half sister to graded stakes winner and prominent sire Tale of the Cat; G1 stakes winner Minardi; and Myth, the dam of international champion and sire Johannesburg. Untrapped also hails from the extended family of G1 winner Preach, the dam of the late perennial leading sire and Claiborne stallion Pulpit.
Untrapped’s unraced dam Exit Three also has a yearling Flatter filly and produced a Blame filly this spring before being bred to Orb.
Trappe Shot, a G2-winning son of Tapit, is currently the #2 second-crop sire by graded stakes horses and G1 stakes horses. His stakes horses this year include G3 winner Fish Trappe Road, Wild Man Sam, and Quick Release. Trappe Shot will stand for $7,500 in 2017.