Unitedappeal with Brianne Culp aboard wins the Kudzu Juvenile for Alabama Breds at Fair Grounds. (Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.)
By Maribeth Kalinich
NEWS ORLEANS, La.—Hackett Brothers Thoroughbreds, Inc.’s homebred Unitedappeal went gate-to-wire to capture the $25,000 Kudzu Juvenile Stakes for two-year-old Alabama-breds at the Fair Grounds Race Course.
Trained by Eric Nelson, Jr., Unitedappeal set the pace under jockey Brianne Culp along the inside as his outer stablemates Alabama Queen and She Is Making Rip. The leader sparred only with Alabama Queen around the turn, and gamely clung to a margin through the lane.
Jose Rodriguez and Alabama Queen pressed three wide, dueled for the lead outside of the eventual winner around the turn, battled through midstretch while hanging on her left lead, but failed to keep pace in the final sixteenth missing by one length.
Pure Pam Demonium lacked speed despite heavy urging from rider Reylu Gutierrez, inched closer in the four path around the turn to gain show leaving the five sixteenths pole, then ran on while pursuing the top pair through the lane.
She Is Making Rip ridden by Jose Riquelme prompted the pace two wide while between horses contending stable mates, but weakened at the three-furlong pole, and failed to change leads until approaching the final sixteenth.
Zadar was outrun.
Unitedappeal paid $9.80, 3.20 and 2.20 while Alabama Queen paid $2.40 and 2.10, and Pure Pam Demonium paid $2.20 for show.
Unitedappeal completed the 5 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:08.01 after setting an opening quarter of 23.66.
The dark bay gelding is by Divide and Conquer out of the Fusiachi Pegasus mare Sophia Grace.
