Amoss has strong team for Sunday's feature and beyond

Tom Amoss has a pair of horses for Sunday’s allowance race feature at Churchill Downs – and at least three stakes horses for races in the near future.

Lone Sailor and Roiland are among 10 entrants in the eighth race Sunday at Churchill, carded at 1 1/16 miles on dirt and open to third-level allowance horses or $80,000 claimers.

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Lone Sailor once looked like he could become a solid graded stakes horse, but while his ceiling hasn’t proved especially high, there’s no telling yet how good two Amoss-trained 3-year-old sprinters might be. No Parole scored a sharp Oaklawn Park allowance win in his most recent race and, Amoss said, is headed for the Woody Stephens Stakes over seven furlongs at Belmont Park. Amoss said Luis Saez will pick up the mount on No Parole, whose lone defeat in five races came in the two-turn Rebel Stakes.

Long Weekend was sixth in the Saratoga Special last summer but has won his other four starts and comes off a victory over Echo Town in the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Amoss said he’s headed for the Laz Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita.

Serengeti Empress ranks as the Amoss stable star, despite an 11th-place finish in the Apple Blossom Handicap, her most recent race. No set plans have been made for Serengeti Empress, but she’s been in a steady training pattern and is likely to make her next start in the Fleur de Lis at Churchill or the Ogden Phipps at Belmont.

“She had a really bad setup last time and a really bad post to go with it,” Amoss said.

Lone Sailor also had a tough post last out at Oaklawn, breaking from the 11 hole before finishing third in an April 19 start at this class level and distance. Lone Sailor has just three wins from 26 career starts but has finished third or better 16 times, has earned $1.27 million for Gayle Benson’s G M B Racing, and is Grade 1-placed. He has a reputation as a plodding closer but has kept surprisingly close to quick paces this season.

“His ability to be competitive is a lot about field size – I don’t think he likes being crowded – and a pace setup,” Amoss said. “I like this race as it pertains to both my horses since there seems to be a good bit of pace.”

Roiland, at age 4 a year younger than Lone Sailor, also has shown his best when a strong early and middle tempo enervates the horses near the front of the pack.

Lenstar and Flowers for Lisa are the principal pace players in Sunday’s race, which also includes stakes droppers Core Beliefs and Bourbon Resolution.

◗ Guarana won Thursday’s featured race 8 like a 1-5 shot should, drawing away to a 5 1/4 -length victory in a third-level allowance race while never asked for run by jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

“That’s about as easy as a horse can win,” Gaffalione told Churchill publicity.

Guarana, trained by Chad Brown, clocked 1:22.58 for seven furlongs on a fast track while making her first start since finishing second in the Grade 1 Cotillion on Sept. 21 at Parx Racing. That was Guarana’s first defeat following a maiden win and victories in the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.