They'll ‘dream big’ with Breeders’ Cup-bound Serengeti Empress

From the time Joel Politi purchased Serengeti Empress as a $70,000 yearling until the filly started racing, he noticed those who cared for her talked of potential.

However, “Everybody was trying to just temper their enthusiasm,” he said, “because they didn’t want to get my hopes off the charts.”

Now Politi has little choice.

Seregenti Empress blitzed to a victory in Churchill Downs’ Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes, winning by 19 1/2 lengths Saturday in what was both a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Kentucky Oaks qualifier.

It marked the largest margin of victory in a graded stakes under the Twin Spires since Rachel Alexandra’s 20 1/4-length romp in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks. It also followed Serengeti Empress’ 13 1/2-length score last month in her stakes debut, the Ellis Park Debutante.

So, Politi is hoping — and allowing himself to “dream big.”

“The obvious after the Ellis race was, we could have a horse running in the Breeders’ Cup,” he said. “Now the obvious statement is, we have a good shot at being the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup.”

Trainer Tom Amoss reported the daughter of Alternation is “doing great after the race,” and so it’s on to the Nov. 2 Juvenile Fillies, also run at Churchill Downs.

Politi, an orthopedic surgeon from Columbus, Ohio, who specializes in hip and knee replacements, brought a crew of seven close friends down for the Pocahontas. The entourage should only build.

For more than a decade, he has owned horses in partnership with friends. To be involved in the industry is in Politi’s blood.

Politi grew up the son of a physician who had a 12-horse barn in the backyard. When he wasn’t with those Thoroughbreds, he was watching others at his home tracks, Thistledown and Mountaineer, then known as Waterford Park.

“We’ve had some nice horses, but nothing like this,” Politi said. “You know how it works in the horse world — fracture a sesamoid, bow a tendon before they ever show it.”

Within the last three years, Politi has campaigned horses under his own name with Amoss the trainer.

“Tom never oversells a horse — ever,” Politi said. “He called me after she worked one morning and was like, ‘Joel, we’ve got a real runner here.’”

Serengeti Empress broke her maiden on debut at Indiana Grand. Two weeks later, she had shipped for the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga, but “everything went wrong.” She filly didn't like the deep track, she broke poorly and her ridder dropped the whip. Serengeti Empress finished fourth.

What followed were Politi’s first two stakes wins, both by open lengths. Serengeti Empress set all the fractions in the Pocahontas, getting the half mile in 46.94 seconds before she pulled away from 10 rivals. The performance resulted in only a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.

“People are going to say, ’Well, the other horses ran horrible.’” Politi said. “Well, the reason they ran horrible is because they went 1:12 and change. They went a second faster than the older mares did for six furlongs (in the Grade 3 Locust Grove Stakes).

"They burned out. Anybody who came to play had nothing left.”

And because of that, Politi’s dreaming.