Classy Unspun to take the Typewriter

HIGHLY fancied at odds of 2-1 in the Kenneth Mattis Memorial two weeks ago after galloping 1:06.1 for five and a half furlongs at exercise seven days prior, United States-bred UNSPUN ran smack into an old but quirky rival, local-bred MOJITO, who blazed a fantastic marker race for Sunday’s Typewriter Trophy at seven and a half furlongs.

Champion Two-year-old in 2022 and unbeaten in five starts after winning the 2023 Guineas by 12 lengths, sparingly raced MOJITO had warmed up for the Mattis Memorial with a second-place run behind speedy American PACK PLAYS in the August 1 BGLC Trophy, finishing a length and a quarter behind the quick foreigner’s 1:06.4 for five and a half furlongs.

Given a pace which he could stalk and take out rivals down the backstretch, MOJITO simply chewed the Mattis Memorial, clocking a fantastic 1:55.2, the second-fastest time at nine furlongs and 25 yards this year behind COMMANDANT’s 1:54.3, bettering GEOLITHIC’s 1:55.4.

UNSPUN, who had chased home MOJITO at seven and a half furlongs in March, trying to reel in the enigmatic grey, who clocked 1:31.2, bettered only by RIDEALLDAY’s 1:31.1 on August 9, again had to watch from a distance after going past SUPREMASI three furlongs out.

Showing no ill-effects of a change of barn, taking orders from Alford Brown, UNSPUN emerged from the Mattis Memorial with a runner-up time of 1:57.0, which should make him razor-sharp for a shorter trip against a field of primarily local-breds, led by this season’s Jamaica Derby and St Leger winner, I DREAM AGAIN, and stablemate INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD, who won last year’s St Leger.

Whereas I DREAM AGAIN and INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD proved themselves better than their respective age-group peers, UNSPUN has twice beaten foreigners, stunning RIDEALLDAY as a two-year-old last December and similarly falling out of the sky to nail UNBELIEVABLE FORCE in May, both six-furlong events.

INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD charged late with Reyan Lewis on Labour Day to outfinish MAJOR DANGER and BLUE VINYL in a three-way photo at seven furlongs but hasn’t lifted straw in two outings among open-allowance company since, returning off an almost three-month break for the Typewriter.

I DREAM AGAIN, who had to be driven and whipped furiously by Robert Halledeen to outfinsh the filly BURNING HEDGE in the Jamaica Derby, hasn’t looked all that sharp at exercise, a luxury he can’t afford against UNSPUN, who will be charging like a runaway train inside the final furlong.