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DEL MAR, Calif. – Last year, Amazombie came into the Grade 1 Bing Crosby just 29 days after a race at Hollywood Park. Given nearly three months between races for this year’s Crosby on Sunday at Del Mar, Amazombie improved upon his third-place finish of a year ago while outfinishing the speedy The Factor to win the $300,000 sprint race named for one of this track’s founders.
In doing so, Amazombie ran the fastest six furlongs of the meet (1:08.65) and served notice that, as the defending Eclipse Award and Breeders’ Cup winner in the sprint division, he will be a formidable hurdle for anyone looking to take his crown this fall.
“He’s stronger,” said Bill Spawr, who trains Amazombie, 6, and owns him along with Tom Sanford. “We feel – training him – there’s more muscle to him.”
Amazombie ($5.80), the second choice, got a perfect trip under jockey Mike Smith. He sat third early, in the clear, while Comma to the Top outsprinted The Factor for the early lead through fractions of 22.39 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.50 seconds – a withering 22.11-second quarter – for the half-mile.
Amazombie took over inside the furlong pole and pulled clear to win by 1 1/4 lengths over The Factor, who held off his Bob Baffert-trained stablemate, Capital Account, by a head for second.
Comma to the Top was fourth, just 1 1/4 lengths behind Capital Account, and Don Tito trailed in the field of five.
The victory was the first of the meet for Smith, who has ridden sparingly and earlier in the day watched Paynter, whom he rode in the Belmont, run away to a win in the Haskell.
“It took a good one to get me to the winner’s circle,” Smith said.
Amazombie, a gelding, has now won 12 times in 27 starts. This was only his second race on Del Mar’s Polytrack, a surface over which Spawr believes he is not at his best.
”He prefers dirt,” Spawr said. “He ran well today because he’s stronger, but he prefers dirt.”
Spawr said Amazombie will follow the same schedule he had last year, when he had one race following the Crosby prior to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. His next start will be the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, a race Amazombie won last year when it was called the Ancient Title.
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Amazombie is a Beast!
Would love to see Shackleford vs The Factor @ 7F!
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I agree wth everything said here. I had 500 on Paynter and 200 on Amozombie and yet still only managed to finish 300 ahead on the day thanks to a disasterous Saratoga. Amozombie is the best sprinter in the country and I have a feeling Bode is better than Paynter. As far as the Breeders Cup goes it will be tough for any of these 3 year olds to beat Game On Dude who looks to be much the best older horse in training. The BC filly and mare turf is a race I'm going to try to make a nice score as I really like what I've seen from Lady Shamrock.
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Repeating what I've thought for a while, Amazombie is the best pure sprinter(6-6.5 furlongs) in North America. He's 8 for 11 at 6 furlongs, and that includes the LA Cap last year when he crossed the wire first but was disqualified for dubious reasons. His only true loss at 6 or 6.5 furlongs since winning the Sunshine Millions in January 11' was in last year's Crosby when he was in need of a brief freshening.
Don't know how The Factor's supporters can be encouraged about his chances in the BC Sprint. Once again he's done in by another speed horse. He's not quick enough to clear stakes sprinters and gets too mentally and physically exhausted when having to run head-and-head for the lead. That's not a recipe for BC Sprint success.
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Thank you, Amazombie, for turning a disastrous day into a mere semi-disaster.
And why mess with a great stakes name like the Ancient Title? Doesn't anyone appreciate racing history anymore? Can you get anymore prosaic than Santa Anita Sprint Championship? I don't think so.
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MONCLOVA galloped out strongly after closing belatedly in her second trip postward May 26, from which the runner-up exited to graduate with a 68 Beyer. The daughter of Queen's Plate winner Niigon is bred to run long, and can break through with the stretchout from six and a half furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth. BE MIND PHIL is returning on short rest off a closing second in her debut, going a mile around one turn on the grass. She has a blend of speed and stamina in her pedigree.
