Unbridled in full Command in Hollywood Derby

"I had a beautiful trip this time, and everything worked out perfect,"

Castellano recapped. "I saw the horses start backing out, and I chose to go

around, and it worked out perfect. I knew the closers would show up down the

lane, but I was able to get the jump on them. This was my first time on this

horse. I watched his race replays and I was very impressed and really liked

him."

Grandeur outkicked Lucky Chappy by a head for best-of-the-rest honors. It was

another 2 1/2 lengths back to the French filly Rjwa in fourth. Power Foot,

Summer Front, My Best Brother, All Squared Away, Big Bane Theory, Handsome Mike,

Golden Ticket, Smart Ellis, General Logan and the badly-hampered Speaking of

Which rounded out the order of finish. The also-eligible Groovin' Solo stayed in

the barn.

Speaking of Which, just nailed by Grandeur in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby last

out, was drafting right behind the first flight turning for home when he was

stopped cold. Checked sharply and shuffled back, the Dermot Weld colt was

eliminated from contention, and jockey Pat Smullen let him come home in a

leisurely gallop.

The streaking Unbridled Command has now bankrolled $469,040 from his 10-6-1-2

line. His only unplaced run came in his career debut on dirt last summer.

Switched to the grass thereafter, he broke his maiden at Aqueduct last November.

Unbridled Command took three tries to clear his entry-level allowance condition,

checking that box at Belmont on June 23, and followed up with a victory in a

second-level event at Saratoga August 1.

Making his stakes debut in the Grade 3 Saranac at the Spa on September 2, the

gray rallied boldly to win by a half-length. Unbridled Command made it four in a

row by crushing older New York-breds in the October 20 Mohawk at Belmont by 6

3/4 lengths, and now collected his first Grade 1 tilt here. As a son of Master

Command, the strongly-made colt was entitled to improve with maturity and

distance, and he promises to keep progressing.

"He likes to track on the turns," Bush said. "He just matures from race to

race to race. I couldn't dream of a horse developing any nicer than this horse.

He's really gotten special. He's going to fly to Palm Meadows tonight and we'll

figure out his next race.''

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and A. Lakin and Sons in the Empire State,

Unbridled Command was sold for $28,000 as a two-year-old in training at OBS

April. He is out of the unraced Unbridled's Song mare Unbridled Betty, who is a

half-sister to stakes-winning stakes producers Tarage and Chartreuse. Another of

her half-siblings, the winning Nureyev mare Astaire Step, produced multiple

Grade 1-winning millionaire Manistique. This is also the family of multiple

Grade 2 victress Randaroo and Grade 1 queen Freedom Cry.

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