Quick into stride from the gate, Phil D'Amato's British-bred Amy C attended the pace and rallied to take Monday's $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (G3) by 1 ¼ lengths and thus remain unbeaten in three tries down Santa Anita's unique hillside turf course.
Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Amy C, a recently turned 5-year-old mare, got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hill in 1:12.76 over a course listed as good.
About two lengths off dueling leaders Burgoo Alley, Freedom Flyer, and Royal Address at the dirt crossing atop the stretch run, Amy C tipped out four-deep and accelerated to her second consecutive hillside turf stakes victory.
A 1 ½ length winner of the ungraded Senator Ken Maddy Stakes off the hill on Oct. 29, Amy C was off as the 2-1 favorite among a field of eight older fillies and mares and paid $6.60 for the win.
“This filly, she's a pro,” said D'Amato, who also saddled Lady Edith and Burgoo Alley, who finished fifth and sixth respectively. “She loves it down the hill. Umberto said she switches leads crossing the dirt before he can even think about it, which is a great thing. Hopefully, we've got some nice races to look forward to here at Santa Anita.”
Owned by Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb, and Robert LaPenta, Amy C notched her first graded stakes win and now has five wins from 10 overall starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, the daughter of British Group 1 winner and former Darley stallion Charming Thought out of the Exceed And Excel mare Alzahra increased her earnings to $248,385.
“She knows how to cross the dirt, put her feet from the grass to the dirt, to the dirt to the grass,” said an ebullient Rispoli. “She's very professional and I'm very glad to be on a horse like this.
“When I found myself out of the gate there was a second that Joe (Bravo aboard Royal Address) was to my inside, and Frankie (Dettori aboard Freedom Flyer) was coming with Flavien (Prat aboard Burgoo Alley), and I thought to myself, well the pace isn't going to be fast, so I was happy to be close. Around the turn, I was just trying to be in the clean way, just to make sure that I give everything without excuses and the horse helped me and we won, so we were right.”
The longest shot in the field at 54-1, Lady Jae, who was last at the half-mile pole, rallied between horses under Ryan Curatolo to edge Freedom Flyer by a nose for second.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Freedom Flyer finished a head better than Countess Rosina for third money in a blanket finish behind the winner.
Fractions on the race were :21.61, :43.65 and 1:06.49.
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