Tom Amoss | Horse Racing Free Tips

Amoss To Saddle Kevin’s Folly In Hopeful At Saratoga

Trainer Tom Amoss will saddle Michael McLoughlin's Kevin's Folly in Monday's $300,000 Grade 1 Hopeful.

The Distorted Humor colt, an $80,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, registered a 69 Beyer in his winning debut sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs on July 31 at Saratoga.

With Tyler Gaffalione up, Kevin's Folly was in fifth position at the half-mile call before cutting the corner and powering home to a 1 1/2-length score in a field of six.

Amoss said the horse was training too well to wait on a two-turn race later in the fall.

“I know I'm asking a lot of him, but the timing is so poor to save him for the middle of the month for Churchill going two turns off that one race,” Amoss said. “We always thought he was talented. What I liked about him on debut is that he rated, he took dirt and he came through on the inside through a very small opening, so he was very professional. He galloped out well. I saw a lot to like about him off his debut.”

Amoss said he is hopeful that Kevin's Folly will be able to work out a trip when exiting post 9 under Jose Lezcano in a race led by graded-stakes winners Wit and High Oak.

“He's shown he'll rate and sit behind horses, so both those things are plusses, but I have nothing but the ultimate respect for Wit and High Oak. This is a very good race,” Amoss said.

Joel Politi's Li'l Tootsie closed to finish third in Saturday's Grade 2 Prioress, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies at the Spa.

Amoss said he was pleased to see the Tapiture bay, a three-time winner in nine starts, pick up graded black type.

“That's what we were hoping for. She ran well,” Amoss said.

Maggi Moss and Greg Tramontin's graded-stakes winner No Parole posted a bullet half-mile in :47.21 Saturday on the Saratoga main track.

The 4-year-old Louisiana-bred son of Violence won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last year at Belmont Park. He has made three starts this season, including a win in the LA Bred Premier Sprint in February at Delta Downs.

Amoss said No Parole, who finished seventh last out in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap in April at Oaklawn, is working his way back to race fitness having breezed four times at Saratoga.

“He's coming back off a layoff. He should be ready by the end of the month to find a race. I'd like to get him back into form and make him a stallion in Louisiana,” Amoss said.

Out of the stakes-winning Bluegrass Cat mare Plus One, No Parole was purchased for $75,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His third dam, Star Deputy, produced multiple graded stakes winning millionaire License Fee.

The post Amoss To Saddle Kevin’s Folly In Hopeful At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Philly Eagles, Let’s Be Clear Headline P.G. Johnson Field At Saratoga

Tracy Farmer's Philly Eagles made a stellar debut in winning in Great Britain in June. She will now look to notch a victory on the opposite side of the Atlantic in Thursday's $120,000 P.G. Johnson for juvenile fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Philly Eagles was a half-length victor in a maiden weight-for-age contest going seven furlongs on June 26 at Doncaster with Alice Haynes as her conditioner. The daughter of Havana, now in the care of Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, breezed three times this month over Saratoga's Oklahoma training turf, including a five-furlong work in 1:03.45 on August 22.

On Thursday, the Irish-bred Philly Eagles is slated to break from post 4 while picking up the services of jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr.

“It's the first time running her here in the country,” Casse said. “She's training well and we're excited about Santana riding her. Everything is all set. She looks good and we're looking forward to it.”

Mystic Eyes was also a debut winner, posting a gate-to-wire 4 1/2-length score on August 5 in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint at the Spa. Owned by MeB Racing Stables and Vincent Esopi, Mystic Eyes earned a field-high 77 Beyer Speed Figure for her win over firm going.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Mystic Eyes will look to handle the stretch out in distance, drawing the outermost post with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons.

Conditioner Christophe Clement will send out Manzanita Stables' Silvery Rill, who ran second in her debut on August 1 at the Spa in a 1 1/16-mile contest. Silvery Rill, a daughter of War Front, will see Joel Rosario ride from post 5.

Let's Be Clear ran a competitive second for reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox in her debut going five furlongs on June 11 over the Churchill Downs main track, finishing a head back to Sax, before graduating at 5 1/2 furlongs on July 21 on the Spa dirt.

Cox will now try the Munnings filly on turf for the first time. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael Caruso, Let's Be Clear will make the foray to the grass with Manny Franco picking up the mount from post 8.

Meet-leading trainer Chad Brown will see Klaravich Stables' Expand the Map look to break her maiden after running second on debut on July 22 at Saratoga. The Irish-bred daughter of Dark Angel will break from post 3 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

Joel Politi's Take the Backroads, a Will Take Charge filly, enters with momentum following a 4 3/4-length victory in her first start on the turf on August 4 at Saratoga in a five-furlong sprint.

Take the Backroads has progressed in each of her three starts, building on a third-place effort behind Let's Be Clear in that June 11 contest before running second to her emerging rival on July 21, this time finishing just one length back to Let's Be Clear on dirt. The duo will face each other for a third time and the first time on turf, as the Tom Amoss trainee drew post 6 with Tyler Gaffalione aboard.

Treadyway Racing Stable's Sail By earned stakes back type last out, building on her first-out win on June 18 at Belmont by running second to Miss Alacrity in the Colleen on August 1 at Monmouth Park. Trained by Leah Gyarmati, Sail By will have Junior Alvarado ride from post 7.

Owner and trainer Kevin Rice will see Runaway Breeze, who made her first three starts at Presque Isle Downs, including a win last out on August 18, look to make an impression at Saratoga. Runaway Breeze drew the inside post with Dylan Davis scheduled to ride.

Pletcher also entered Miss Interpret for the main track only.

The 17th running of the P.G. Johnson, slated as Race 9 on the 10-race card with a 1:05 p.m. Eastern first post, honors the late Hall of Fame trainer who crafted a distinguished career that spanned six decades. Philip George Johnson was the leading trainer at Saratoga in 1983 and according to the National Museum of Racing, won at least one race each year at the Spa from 1962 to 2003. His biggest career victory came in 2002 with a horse he co-owned named Volponi, who pulled off a 43-1 upset of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Philly Eagles, Let’s Be Clear Headline P.G. Johnson Field At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ottoman Empire Has Additional ‘Education’ Ahead Of Saratoga Special

Greg Tramontin's Ottoman Empire will look to benefit from the experience of his race last month at Saratoga when he returns as part of a 12-horse field of juveniles in tomorrow's Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

The Tom Amoss trainee won his debut in a five-furlong sprint on June 20 at Churchill Downs, rallying from seventh to best next-out winner Texas Red Hot by one length. Stepping up to stakes company next out, the Classic Empire colt ran fourth in the Grade 3 Sanford at six furlongs at the Spa in a race won by Wit.

“He won his first start at Churchill and there's absolutely no doubt he's a talented horse,” Amoss said. “In his first start, it was strictly on raw talent. He made a lot of mistakes. He didn't break well, he didn't like being crowded, he didn't go around anybody. But it was a very good race as far as watching a horse that doesn't have a really good understanding of competition yet but still being able to win a race.”

Amoss said an equipment change could continue to be beneficial to Ottoman Empire, who was a $120,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“Since his first start, we thought we had educated him pretty well entering the last stakes race here. We did add blinkers to him, which isn't a move I often make this early in a horse's career,” Amoss said. “I like them to learn through racing, but we're going to go ahead and run with the blinkers. I just feel he needs a little jump-start in the education process.”

Ottoman Empire drew post 3 with Dylan Davis in the irons. He is listed at 15-1 on the morning line.

“His understanding of competition and what he needs to do to win is still not where it needs to be, but you tend to get a little bit of a better understanding through racing, so we're back in tomorrow and we feel good about it,” Amoss said.

Joel Politi's Li'l Tootsie will make a surface change after going 3-1-0 in first seven career starts on dirt when she competes in Sunday's $120,000 Galway for 3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on Saratoga's Mellon turf course.

Li'l Tootsie, who ran ninth last out in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks on July 7 at Indiana Grand Race Course, registered her first breeze on the grass with a five-furlong work in 1:03.66 on the Oklahoma training turf July 31 and Amoss said he was impressed with the effort.

“She's a very talented sprinter,” Amoss said. “She's never raced over the grass before, but the pedigree suggests it'll work. We breezed her over the Oklahoma turf course and we thought she worked very well. This race gives us the opportunity to see if we can make her anything other than a dirt sprinter and broaden our horizons.”

Li'l Tootsie, bought for $105,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is a daughter of Tapiture out of the Dayjur mare Informative Style. She drew the inside post in the Galway with Eric Cancel aboard and is 12-1 on the morning line.

“You always prefer to be further outside with a chance to position and make a late run without any traffic,” Amoss said. “The one-hole, it's the shortest way home, but it presents potential problems for a horse who comes off the pace. We have to work out a trip from there and see what happens.”

The post Ottoman Empire Has Additional ‘Education’ Ahead Of Saratoga Special appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Amoss Hopes Sermononthemount Will ‘Really Show What He Can Do’ In Ellis Park Derby

Trainer Tom Amoss finds a different scenario facing Sermononthemount in running Emil Cerullo's 3-year-old colt in Sunday's $200,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby than what awaited him in last month's Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand.

The Grade 3 Indiana Derby had a heavy favorite in Churchill Downs' Matt Winn winner Fulsome. But the time-honored racing tenet is that you don't run away from one horse. Indeed, Sermononthemount finished second at 18-1 as Mr. Wireless rolled to victory in the 1 1/16-mile stakes. Fulsome finished a non-threatening third.

The 1 1/8-mile Ellis Park Derby would not appear to have a prohibitive favorite in its field of six 3-year-olds. While Super Stock won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, he also finished fourth in the Texas Derby and Iowa Derby following a 16th in the Kentucky Derby. Also entered: Indiana Derby fourth-place finisher Starrininmydreams, Ellis Park allowance winner Colonel Bowman, allowance runner-up (by a nose) There Goes Harvard and Ellis maiden-winner Hanks.

The Ellis Park Derby is part of a five-stakes Sunday card that also features the $125,000 RUNHAPPY Groupie Doll for fillies and mares, $125,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Juvenile, $125,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Debutante and $100,000 Audubon Oaks.

“He's a horse that wants some pace up front and be allowed to finish. And we really didn't get that in the Indiana Derby,” Amoss said. “He's also a horse, in my opinion, that would rather come around than go inside. He kind of likes to have one of those trips where he's not crowded in any shape or form, and he didn't get that either. But he still ran well. The Ellis Park Derby is a logical race for us because No. 1, it's right there. It's very attractive purse-wise, and I like the distance.”

The Indiana Derby “was a race on paper that I thought was worth rolling the dice,” he said. “I think that's kind of what's happening again… I see a field in the Ellis Park Derby with a lot of horses that are up and coming and improving, but certainly no horse in there that would scare another one out.”

James Graham has the return mount on Sermononthemount. Graham turned out to be prescient when he said this before the Indiana Derby: “He tries his butt off every time, so you have to take a little bit of a shot — and he's doing good. What if Fulsome has a bad day? And hopefully we have a good day. Give it a shot and see what happens.”

Mr. Wireless validated his Indiana Derby victory by taking last Saturday's Grade 3 West Virginia Derby.

“He showed he is legit by the results of the West Virginia Derby,” Amoss said. “So that's nice, too.”

Sermononthemount didn't run well on turf when claimed for $50,000 at the Fair Grounds in March. Two races later, Amoss put him in for a $30,000 claiming race as a confidence-builder, and off that win began tackling stakes company. The result was third in the Prairie Mile and then the Indiana second.

“The Ellis Park Derby will give him a chance to really show what he can do at more distance,” Amoss said. “He's an improving young horse.”

The post Amoss Hopes Sermononthemount Will ‘Really Show What He Can Do’ In Ellis Park Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post