Barn Tour: Tom Amoss updates on Hoosier Philly, Spa runners

Tom Amoss is having a nice meet at Saratoga this summer. With 19 horses at the Spa, he has a 23: 5-1-5 record.

“It’s going well,” he said.

And overall, things have been steady for his operation. Recently topping $3 million in earnings for the year, he’s poised to top last year’s figure of $3.7 million.

He’s also looking for his first graded stakes win since 2022, which could come this week with Hoosier Philly in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa if the weather cooperates.

Amoss provided updates on Hoosier Philly and other top runners in his stable for Horse Racing Nation’s Barn Tour series.

Hoosier Philly. The 4-year-old Into Mischief is Amoss’s most recent graded-stakes winner, scoring in the 2022 Golden Rod (G2). She’s 1-for-4 this year, with a victory in a black-type stakes at Oaklawn in the spring. She’s a main-track-only entry in Thursday’s Ballston Spa at Saratoga. “Ideally, we want to get Hoosier Philly on the dirt, and we want to get her confidence built back. But because of her record, those races don't exist. So more than likely, our next spot is going to be opening weekend at Churchill Downs” in the Locust Grove (G2), Amoss said. “She really started having a little trouble with the heat this summer, and bringing her up to Saratoga was designed to get her out of the heat and hopefully have a spot up here. It has not worked out, but it still was a good move. She's really thrived with the cooler mornings.”

Minnesota Ready. The 5-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready is 6: 2-2-1 this year, with both wins coming in black-type stakes. “He's a versatile sprinter on the dirt, in the grass. He will either run in the Harvey Pack at Saratoga or he will run at Kentucky Downs. I don't know the name of that stake there. It's six and a half furlongs, and it's considered an overnight stake. He'll run one of those two sprints, both of which are on the grass,” Amoss said. “He's done well for us. We bought him privately when they had a dispersal of Mr. (Bob) Lothenbach’s horses after he passed away. And he paid immediate dividends for us when he won the stake in New Orleans. And he's another that really has benefited from being up here in Saratoga in the cooler temperatures.”

Riley Jean. The 4-year-old Gun Runner filly had her career debut in January, and she broke her maiden in May in her fifth try. She has two wins and a second in her three starts since, all allowance races. “Riley Jean is a work in progress, and that may sound kind of counterintuitive because (of her recent record). … For her to be successful in stakes company, we're going need some improvement, we recognize that. So with Riley Jean, although she's doing well, our next move is going to be stepping up pretty dramatically in a stake. No plans made on that. As you know, she just finished winning. So it's still early to be making a decision.”

Rock’n a Halo. This 3-year-old gelded son of Catholic Boy won his career debut in February and is 1-for-5 since, most recently finishing sixth in the Secretariat (G2), his first graded start. “Rock’n a Halo is a bit of a puzzle for us, a tough one. He started his career off very, very well, and he has been a challenge to train. He's not always the most enthusiastic or best student on the racetrack when it comes to training, and so we're working with him a lot on that. And despite a disappointing effort in his last start at Colonial Downs, we're going to stay on the grass with him and stay going long with him. But we're not going to put him back in the entry box until we're completely satisfied that his mindset is on gaining the finish line first.”

2-year-olds

Kimchi Cat. The Twirling Candy filly has two wins and a second from three starts after winning the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga on Sunday. “Kimchi Cat has been great for us. My group picked her out at the sale last September at Keeneland as a yearling. She's a horse that has some physical maturity still to happen. She's a little bit on the immature and smaller side. But what she lacks in size and physical appearance, she makes up for in heart. That's evident by her three races, a really good second at Churchill, then two in a row, including a stake here at Saratoga. She came out of that race in good shape. The plan with her would be to try to stretch her out to more distance, and that's what happens with 2-year-olds this time of year.” She’ll have her next start opening weekend at Churchill Downs.

Lady Orient. This daughter of Liam’s Map debuted July 13 at Ellis Park and caught the leader at the wire to win by a head. “Lady Orient's only run the grass in that one start and was scheduled to make her second appearance in Saratoga, but it got rained off. We're probably going to run her back in the grass stake called the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga, which is actually going to a distance of ground. … We like her a lot. She ran a very impressive first race despite getting in a lot of trouble, and she's trained very forwardly since then.”

I Got Game. Amoss is high on this son of Game Winner despite his 0-for-3 record. “I Got Game has been maybe the most bad-luck horse I've had as a 2-year-old. He's still a maiden, but that's not going to be for long. All he needs is a good trip. And I think he's going to be very impressive. We're going to run him once more in Saratoga. We switched the equipment on him, put blinkers on in his training. He'll be entered that way. I'm very much looking forward to his next race in Saratoga at the end of the month.”

Authentic Gallop. The son of Authentic finished seventh in his July 20 debut at Saratoga. “He made the lead right out of the gate very easily, and he's just completely lost, really doesn't understand competition or the instinct of getting to the finish line first. But a big talent in the mornings. Covers a tremendous amount of ground when he trains. Looking forward to running him back, and he will start again at Saratoga before the meet ends.”’