By Michael Floyd
Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell is hoping Thursday night’s Sportsbet Future Stars Final at Sportsbet-Pakenham is a stepping stone towards bigger things for his emerging three-year Untapped.
The hulking brown gelding was brilliant when winning the opening heat of the $1.2m series in January, and quickly backed up to win equally as impressively at the same venue two weeks later.
Eurell said that while there was the temptation of stepping up to a number of ‘black-type’ three-year-old races on offer, the lure of the $300,000 final was too great.
“From his last run, it gives us an opportunity to give him a little freshen up and ideally, if we could send him out on a fresh set of legs into the final, that’s probably going to be the best way to go,” he said.
“I think it’s worked out well.”
Untapped rounded out his preparations for the final with an effortless jumpout win at Cranbourne last Monday, with jockey Zac Spain dictating the pace at the front of the field before extending in the run to the line, winning by seven lengths.
“It was good,” Eurell said of the jumpout.
“It said all the right signs were there that he’s heading in the right direction, and to date everything has worked to plan.”
Eurell has long had a high opinion of the son of Foxwedge.
Untapped made his race debut 12 months ago when running a close fourth in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield before concluding his two-year-old season in the Group 2 Sires Produce.
His spring campaign was derailed by a minor leg injury, and while disappointed at the time to miss his early three year old season, Eurell said the break has allowed Untapped to mature and grow into his large frame.
With a faultless preparation under his belt, Eurell is bullish about what lay ahead for Untapped but is happy to allow the horse’s results to dictate which direction he takes.
“It’ll be interesting; I think he’s a progressive sort of horse and he’s still finding his way a little bit,” he said.
“But he’s lightly raced and this time in he’s been faultless, he’s done everything you’d like to see.
“Ideally, if he can get a mile it opens it right up for him.
“He’s a big, strong horse that enjoys his work – he always has – and he’s fairly undentable in that way; he comes out of his runs in terrific order, he looks terrific and he’s racing accordingly.”
Now in its third season, the Sportsbet Future Stars Series has already proven an excellent series for emerging talent with horses including Gringotts, Oh Too Good, Bel Air and Marble Arch graduating from the first two editions of the series.
