Amoss securing his reputation as more than a claiming trainer

With $5.3 million in purse money earned, trainer Tom Amoss enjoyed the third-best season of his 33-year career in 2019. But the New Orleans native says numbers don't tell the entire story.

“The comments have always been, ‘He’s a very good trainer, but who has he developed into a major horse?'” Amoss said. “Winning the Kentucky Oaks with Serengeti Empress is helping to change that narrative, and that’s why 2019 was such a good year.”

“We had quite a few nice 2-year-old winners last year and we’ve got some un-raced horses back there (on the Fair Grounds backstretch) that, in the month of January, people will really enjoy watching,” Amoss added. “The shift from ‘he’s a good claiming trainer’ to ‘he’s a good trainer’ is something that’s occurring right now. That encompasses a lot of people -- not just me. I’m talking about the stable.”

Amoss remains active in the claiming game. He claimed 53 horses in 2019, but 73 were taken from him. The trainer said that side of the business has “changed dramatically” in recent years. 

“There was a time 10 to 15 years ago when I was actively claiming horses and either I got the one I was after or I lost a shake to one other person”, Amoss said. “That’s not the case anymore. There are some super-sized stables out there now who are literally claiming four horses a day at a single track. Now, I’ve never been that guy.

"They’re losing horses on a regular basis and they need to claim to replace them. I actually enjoy being creative doing it, but the landscape the way it is, it is getting harder and harder just to rely on claiming.”

Whether the shift to developing younger horses has happened organically or out of necessity -- perhaps there's a combination of both -- Amoss feels the Oaks win with Serengeti Empress helped take his game to a new level. 

Purchased by Amoss at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $70,000 on behalf of owner Joel Politi, the newly turned 4-year-old daughter of Alternation has had more ups than downs in her 12-race career, winning five times. In addition to the Oaks, she also won the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds and, as 2-year-old, the Pocahontas (G2) at Churchill. She was most recently seen finishing third behind Blue Prize and Midnight Bisou in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita Park.

“I’m very proud of her third in the Breeders’ Cup,” Amoss said. “It took two very good older mares to pass her at the end of that race. She ran against the best all year long, and usually when you do that over and over again at some point, they say uncle.”

Following a well-deserved break from the track, Serengeti Empress recently returned to Amoss’ Fair Grounds base. She's scheduled breeze for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup on Sunday morning.

“She’s a horse who gets herself ready quickly,” Amoss explained. “We have not picked out a spot yet, but look for her to be ready to run toward the end of January.”

Outside of the Breeders’ Cup, all of the starts Serengeti Empress has made have come against age-restricted company. Amoss knows the waters are deeper with an older filly, and despite the fact that she’s also run well in one-turn races, he plans on keeping her long against the best the distaff division has to offer. 

“I was surprised to see that Midnight Bisou is coming back this year, I thought she’d go on to be a broodmare,” Amoss said. “Monomoy Girl is on the radar as a possible comeback horse this year as well. A lot of the 3-year-old fillies beat each other along the way last year. We are making the transition to her 4-year-old year, and there are still some very good older mares still around.”

As far as Amoss' next star, he has a 3-year-old worth noting in No Parole. The Louisiana-bred colt broke his maiden on debut against fellow state-breds by 14 ¼ lengths on Dec. 15 at Fair Grounds.

"He deserves a chance to see how far he can go, not only in distance, but in ability," Amoss said. "We’re not thinking just Louisiana-bred races with him. Stretching out is always a bit of we’ll see how he runs and I think that’s true of him, but I think he’s a brilliant sprinter.

“Running in races like the Oaks and Derby, particularly winning the Oaks, it’s intoxicating, it makes you want more of those kinds of races, but you have to temper that and work with the education of your young horses.

"Put the lure of the big races aside the best you can and sometimes the urge gets to be a little bit too strong. Fortunately, in the case of No Parole, Maggi Moss is the owner and she can temper her enthusiasm pretty well.”