Amoss awaits 'ample opportunities' for No Parole, Long Weekend

Trainer Tom Amoss has fielded two questions most in the time since a pair of his 3-year-olds, No Parole and Long Weekend, both won Oaklawn Park sprints in impressive fashion this weekend.

Which colt is better? And will you race them against one another?

“It’s going to take care of itself,” Amoss said Sunday. “There will be great opportunities for both horses, and I’m looking forward to running them. But I don’t really have any intention of running them against each other.”

First up on Friday, No Parole, a son of Violence who was 3-for-3 before missing the board in Oaklawn’s Rebel Stakes (G2), cut back to six furlongs in an allowance optional claiming event. He opened up a six-length lead in the stretch before geared down.

“I think the horse racing world got to see more than just a good Louisiana-bred sprinter. He’s a very good sprinter, period,” Amoss said. “Although we knew that, it was nice to see him step forward and show it.”

It was Long Weekend’s turn on Saturday. The Majesticperfection colt also upped his record to 4-for-5 when leading at every call of the Bachelor Stakes, edging out Echo Town at the wire of another 3/4-mile sprint. It followed another stakes win in Oaklawn’s Gazebo back on March 21.

“I think his race was impressive from the standpoint that when you look back at his victories — which were all but one race — he won those races in the first 5/8s of a mile,” Amoss said. “There were no real challenges being brought toward him the last portion of the race, but (Saturday) was a completely different setup for him.

"For him to handle it and to be as tough and as game as he was showed a dimension that even I didn’t know he had.”

Both horses could be ready to race again in May, Amoss said, pending stakes schedules around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, they’ll ship back to his string at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds, awaiting stabling areas at Churchill Downs to open up before moving north for the summer.

Given both No Parole and Long Weekend are 3-year-olds, there’s room for growth. But for now, Amoss sees No Parole as a more tactical runner who could stretch to a one-turn mile. Long Weekend, who he describes as a “physically imposing” type, will stick to true sprints.

“The bottom line is they can both can really run,” Amoss said. “Racing’s going to get going this summer. I have no doubt about it. We’re going to be racing not only in the midwest but the east as well. There’s going to be ample opportunities for these horses to run.”

Amoss trains No Parole for a partnership of Maggi Moss and Greg Tramontin. Moss purchased him for what now looks like a bargain $75,000 as a Keeneland yearling.

“At the time, it’s fair to say she thought she was buying a quality Louisiana-bred,” Amoss said. “But before he made his first start, I had a conversation with Maggi and said, ‘Look, this horse isn’t just a good Louisiana-bred. This horse can really run.’ We knew what we had there.”

The trainer meanwhile skipped the Ocala Breeders’ Sale’s April auction for 2-year-olds in training where agent Lauren Carlisle plucked down $225,000 for Long Weekend. Amoss was back at Churchill overseeing Serengeti Empress leading into her Kentucky Oaks victory.

“I thought it was really important I be around her on a daily basis because she was coming off a race where she was eased,” Amoss said. “So the first time I saw Long Weekend was when he came to my barn.”

B.C.W.T. Ltd., a family team, campaigns Long Weekend with Temple Webber III managing the group. Weber III is the son of the late Temple Webber Jr., who formerly owned horses with Amoss including Keeneland’s 2003 Shakertown (G3) winner No Jacket Required.

“So when his son came along and wanted to put a group together including his mom and one of his brothers, it became a chance to do business with that family again,” Amoss said. “and I’ve really, really enjoyed it.”