Serengeti Empress resumes training after bleeding episode

She still looks like a filly destined for greatness on the first Friday in May. She is brilliant. She is fast. She is brilliantly fast. And, she is trained by one of the best in the industry today.

But something happened on Serengeti Empress' appointed round with glory. In her last start, in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) on March 23, the speedy filly was in front and looked to be on her way to stomping her opposition again while stamping her last credential for the Kentucky Oaks.

Then, it happened. She slowed. She nearly stopped. Suddenly, the horse ambulance showed up and the great one was loaded onto the van. Hearts of jubilation quickly sank into despair.

It was discovered that she bled from the nostrils.

For many that love her so, including me, our hearts nearly stopped as well. And, our hearts bled. For the connections and owner Joel Politi. For trainer Tom Amoss, and family. Most of all, for the filly.

We all wondered: What would be next? Monday morning, we found out.

Serengeti Empress was back on the track at Churchill Downs. Though she looked liked she wanted to do so much more, she was allowed to gallop.

Slowly. Easily. Patiently. Carefully.

It was kind of like asking Nolan Ryan to throw slow-pitch softball. It was kind of like asking Mike Tyson to thumb wrestle. It was kind of like asking the great J.J. Watt, of the Houston Texans, to play a game of touch football.

But she did exactly what her trainer wanted.

“(We’re) just training lightly. Only galloping right now,” said Amoss, via text message. “Our focus is on her bleeding. Not thinking about any races.”

While Serengeti Empress always seems to be thinking of racing, the trainer knows that the best thing for her is time.

Time to heal. Time to recover. Time to be what she is destined to be — one of the best in the game.

After all, in seven lifetime starts, Serengeti already has four wins. She broke her maiden on debut, winning by 51/2 lengths at Indiana Grand on July 4. After a fourth-place finish in the Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga, she returned to Kentucky and won the Ellis Park Debutante by a startling 13 1/2 lengths. The next time out, in the Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, Serengeti won by an amazing 191/2 lengths. After disappointing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, when she didn’t make the lead early on, Serengeti returned this year to capture the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at the Fair Grounds by a geared-down 4 1/2 lengths.

In her four wins, Serengeti has won by a combined 43 lengths.

Are you kidding me?

That’s an average of nearly 11 lengths per win.

Now, we will wait along with her boss.

We will wait in hopes that Serengti returns happy and healthy.

We will wait with hopes that she can return to her greatness and finally get her chance for greatness.