Riding the rail throughout much of the six-furlong Grade 2 Royal North, Amalfi Coast dug in and nipped Jeanie B at the wire, the margin of victory a nose in a photo finish at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.
Hanging out mid-pack throughout much of the race, Justin Stein kept Amalfi Coast steady behind front runners Sister Peacock and Jeanie B until the field of eight hit the stretch on the E. P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine. In the straight, Jeanie B took over the lead, with the favorite Change of Control sprinting on her outside. Stein and Amalfi Coast made their big run on the inside, steadily shortening Jeanie B's advantage in the last sixteenth of a mile. At the wire, the two seemed to be on even terms, a photo deciding the winner. In only her second start of 2021, Amalfi Coast gets her first win of the year in the G2 Royal North, with Jeanie B second and Change of Control third.
The final time for the six-furlong turf stakes was 1:09.15. Lady Grace, Fairywren, Sister Peacock, Lead Guitar, and Jeannie's Beepbeep rounded out the field.
Amalfi Coast paid $9.60, $6.30, and $2.60. Jeanie B paid $7.30 and $3.10. Change of Control paid $2.10. Wagers on Lead Guitar, who broke awkwardly and was never a factor, were refunded after the stewards declared that she did not get a fair start.
Bred in Ontario by Terra Farms, Amalfi Coast is by Tapizar out of Include Katherine, by Include. The 5-year-old mare was third in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes last out, with her win in the G2 Royal North improving her to 1-0-1 in 2021 and 6-2-3 in 15 lifetime starts for career earnings of $480,367.
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