Santa Anita Notes: Amazombie beats the rain with drill

Shigeki Kikkawa

Amazombie worked five furlongs in 59 seconds on Friday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Amazombie beat the rain and the sun early Friday at Santa Anita, where he worked five furlongs soon after 5  a.m., getting the distance in 59.60 seconds under Alex Bisono.

Trainer Bill Spawr timed Amazombie in 59 seconds, six furlongs galloping out in 1:12.

“He seems stronger than last year,” Spawr said.

The 2011 champion sprinter, Amazombie looked healthy and happy later Friday morning at the Spawr stable and is expected to improve when he makes the second start of his campaign.

Amazombie finished third in his Feb. 25 comeback at Santa Anita. He will run next in either the Grade 2, $150,000 Potrero Grande Stakes on April 7 at Santa Anita or the Grade  3, $200,000 Count Fleet on April 14 at Oaklawn Park.

Spawr, who co-owns Amazombie with Tom Sanford, said Oaklawn officials have discussed increasing the Count Fleet purse as an incentive to lure the 2011 Breeders’ Cup winner to Oaklawn. Amazombie, whose regular rider is Mike Smith, has won 10 races and $1,549,708 from 24 starts.

With heavy rain forecast for Friday evening, Amazombie was one of 227 horses that recorded Santa Anita workouts Friday morning.

Caracortado to miss San Simeon

Caracortado required a longer recovery from a foot infection and will not start again at the winter meet, trainer Mike Machowsky said Friday.
“He won’t make the San Simeon,” Machowsky said, referring to the Grade 3 turf sprint on April 21 that was scheduled for his comeback. “I’ll wait for Hollywood Park and point for the Shoemaker Mile.”

Caracortado is a three-time graded stakes winner whose foot became infected following a dramatic come-from-behind win Jan. 8 in the Grade 3 Daytona. Machowsky said the infection “took forever” to get over. The 9-for-19 gelding has been tack-walking, but has not resumed normal training. Machowsky expects Caracortado to have a prep race before the Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on June 30 at Hollywood.

Gomez plans Thursday return

Jockey Garrett Gomez, whose comeback from a broken heel was aborted after one race March 9, will take calls for Thursday’s card at Santa Anita, his agent, Tony Matos, said Friday. Gomez, who was injured in early January, interrupted his comeback when his heel was too painful to ride.

“He wanted to give himself a couple more weeks,” Matos said. “He’s fine now.”

Matos said Gomez planned to work horses Monday, weather permitting, and resume riding Thursday. Although he has not ridden in a stakes race in two months, Gomez was tied for second in stakes wins at Santa Anita, with six.

◗ The postponed Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes that was scheduled for Sunday is expected to have seven runners when it is run next Sunday, March 25. Officials rescheduled the 1 1/2-mile turf race due to weather. The projected lineup for the $150,000 stakes includes Bourbon Bay, Dynamic Host, Highway Bandit, Hog’s Hollow, Porfido, Slim Shadey, and Utopian.