Amazombie Ready for Final BC Sprint Prep
California-bred Amazombie, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the 2011 Eclipse Award as the nation’s top sprinter, will defend his title against six other top sprinters in Saturday’s Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship (formerly run as the Ancient Title). The race will serve as a final prep for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Sprint to be run at The Great Race Place Nov. 3.
The Santa Anita Sprint Championship, to be contested at six furlongs, is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race.
Owned by Thomas Sanford and Bill Spawr, the 6-year-old gelding by Northern Afleet is also trained by Spawr. A winner of the Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes July 29 at Del Mar, Amazombie has been training forwardly since returning to Santa Anita, evidenced by his 1:13.60 six furlong drill here on Saturday.
“He went the first quarter in 25 and one (fifth) and the last in 24 flat,” said Spawr. “He galloped out in (seven furlongs) in 1:26 and two. I’m very happy.”
Amazombie broke from the rail post in the Bing Crosby and has shown the kind of early speed that enables him to secure a forwardly-placed early position if wanted. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs was an exception, as Amazombie was fifth, 6 ½ lengths off the lead after the first quarter mile.
He’ll once again be ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who has been aboard the Spawr trainee in his last nine races, with five first-place finishes. Amazombie’s complete record is 27-12-5-6, with earnings of $1,905,378.
A winner of the Grade I Triple Bend Handicap on June 30, Camp Victory was most recently third, beaten 1 ½ lengths in the Grade II Pat O’Brien Handicap on Aug. 26. The Mike Mitchell trainee is without doubt one of the toughest sprinters on the West Coast and should give a good account of himself on Saturday. Owned by Featherston, Jacobsen or Miller, Camp Victory has been assigned co-high weight along with Amazombie of 124 pounds. The 5-year-old Virginia-bred gelding has a 24-8-3-3 record with $547,986 in money-won.
Capital Account, who is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, comes off a solid win in Del Mar’s Pat O’Brien Stakes on Aug. 26 going seven furlongs and was third, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Amazombie in the Crosby.
A winner of two of his last three starts with David Flores up, the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Closing Argument has never been off the board in nine career starts and has record of 4-1-2-1 at Santa Anita. Owned by Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable, his overall mark is 9-5-2-2, with a bankroll of $347,080.
Baffert will also send out the highly regarded Coil, who was second, beaten a half length by Capital Account as the 7-5 favorite in the Pat O’Brien.
Coil, 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Point Given, has an impressive resume that includes a Grade I win in last year’s Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Although he amassed a bankroll of $755,200 in six starts last year, all but one of them routing, Coil has been relegated to sprints in his two previous starts this year. He is owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman.
The lone 3-year-old in the Santa Anita Sprint lineup is Spendthrift Farm’s Jimmy Creed, who will cut back in distance following a big second-place finish to the highly regarded Fed Biz in the one mile El Cajon Stakes on Aug. 31 at Del Mar.
On speed figures, Jimmy Creed ran the best race of his career in the El Cajon, earning a 103 Beyer while pressing the pace throughout. Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Jimmy creed is 2-2 at six furlongs and the Kentucky-bred son of Distorted Humor has an overall mark of 4-2-2-0, with earnings of $103,000.
The complete field for the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, which will be run as the eighth race on a 10-race card, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Castletown, Edwin Maldonado, 119; Amazombie, 124, Mike Smith; Coil, Martin Garcia, 119; Camp Victory, Joe Talamo, 124; Capital Account, David Flores, 119; Jimmy Creed, Garrett Gomez, 118, and Reneesgotzip, Corey Nakatani, 115.