Serengeti Empress rebounds in Fair Grounds' Rachel Alexandra Stakes
Serengeti Empress returned to her top form in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds, rebounding from an off-the-board Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies finish to look more like the multiple stakes winner she is, heading to the front and cruising to a 4 ½-length win.
The Tom Amoss trainee's win awarded her 50 points toward a spot in the Kentucky Oaks on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Serengeti Empress already picked up 10 points as a 2-year-old by winning the Pocahontas Stakes (G2) by 19 ½ lengths during Churchill Downs’ September meet.
Amoss said jockey James Graham "did a great job slowing down the pace. Particularly around the three-eighths pole, I could tell he was really slowing it down to save his energy and nobody challenged at that point.
"I knew she’d be tough to beat from there on home."
Serengeti Empress, the 9-5 favorite after more than three months away from the races, set opening fractions of 24.02, 47.81 and 1:12.45.
The race was filled with talented fillies, including Positive Spirit, who is the half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and the Demoiselle (G2) winner, the Tempted (G3) winner Oxy Lady and the Silverbulletday winner Needs Supervision.
While the top names didn’t fire, upset Golden Rod (G2) winner Liora captured second at 23-1 and Silverbulletday runner-up Eres Tu finished third at 25-1.
Serengeti Empress completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.74.
Joel Politi purchased the daughter of Alternation for $75,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She has won four of six starts and earned $237,870.
Her first career start came at Indiana Grand, where she won by 5 1/2 lengths, and she blew the Ellis Park Debutante Stakes field away by 13 ½ before acing her two-turn test in the Pocahontas. Her winning margin there was, appropriately, the largest at Churchill Downs since Rachel Alexandra won the 2009 Kentucky Oaks by 20 ¼ lengths.
Amoss did not have any immediate plans for where Serengeti Empress could race next.
"We're not there yet," he said. "We're going to enjoy this tonight."