Amalfi Coast to race again this year; Special Forces gets a vacation

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Amalfi Coast recorded her second consecutive stakes win on the E. P. Taylor turf course in the Carotene Stakes over 1 1/8 miles in her most recent start on Oct. 20, and trainer Kevin Attard said the 3-year-old filly would make one more start in 2019.

Where and when that start will take place has yet to be determined as Attard mulls over his options. Amalfi Coast has been nominated to the Grade 2, $175,000 Bessarabian Stakes against fillies and mares over seven furlongs on Tapeta at Woodbine on Nov. 24, but Attard said he is also considering options on turf out of town for the 3-year-old, including the $150,000 Winter Memories Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 28 or the Grade 3, $300,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29. Both of those turf stakes will be contested over 1 1/16 miles.

Amalfi Coast returned to the work tab Friday for the first time since her win in the Carotene, breezing four furlongs in 47.20 seconds on Woodbine’s main track.

“She had a very good work and she’s doing well,” Attard said.

Attard said Amalfi Coast would get some time off following her next race and could join him in Florida this winter to get geared up for next year. Attard said one potential early season target would be the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes over one mile on turf at Woodbine, but he said he wouldn’t rule out options on Tapeta either.

“She’s undefeated on [turf] right now,” he said. “We’ll eye the Nassau as one of the main targets to start her up with next year. The fact that she is versatile gives you a lot of wiggle room, which is nice to have.”

Special Forces finishes the year on a high note

After a series of second-place finishes in stakes this season, Special Forces made his last start of the year a winning one, as he captured the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes on Nov. 3. Attard said Special Forces would get the rest of the season off, and would likely join up with Attard in Florida this winter to begin preparations for his 5-year-old season.

Special Forces finished second in three stakes this season, including the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes and Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes. He was also third in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup Stakes before he rallied well from off of the pace to win the Autumn. Attard said he thought Special Forces started to show he was graded stakes caliber late in his 2018 campaign.

“He’s a nice horse,” he said. “With his final race last season and the way he started off this year, it looked like he was going to be able to compete at that level and win a stake. It took a little longer than we thought. He had some tough beats in some small fields with little pace in those races that hurt him as well.

“Everything lined up for him well in the last start. He had a good trip and I was happy to see him win.”