Amoss likely to continue his roll

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer Tom Amoss momentarily fretted about the way 2004 began for his perennially powerful stable. He need not have, because by the end of the Fair Grounds meet in March, Amoss again was winning races left and right, and his momentum continues to this very moment.

While Amoss contended for the training title at the Churchill Downs spring meet, his satellite string also was winning races at a high percentage at Arlington Park. And since Churchill ended in early July, Amoss has concentrated primarily on Arlington, where he has won with 15 of his first 47 starters for a glossy 32 percent win rate.

His success could continue here Wednesday, when Arlington starts the first week of the post-Million segment of the meet with a nine-race card. Amoss will have the main player in the featured eighth race in Artemus Sunrise, who most recently was second as an odds-on favorite in his first race since being claimed by Amoss for William Dorminy. And Artemus Sunrise is worthy of favoritism again, stretching out to a mile in a $33,000 first-level allowance.

, a 3-year-old Tale of the Cat colt, was claimed at Churchill on June 25, when he narrowly won for a $75,000 tag. Previously owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Dale Romans - the team that won the Secretariat Stakes here Saturday with Kitten's Joy - the colt ran bravely in his first try here July 29 for Amoss, forging to a short lead in midstretch of a six-furlong allowance before falling a half-length shy of victory.

Because Artemus Sunrise's speed seems to be enhanced at longer distances, the additional quarter-mile of the Wednesday feature could make him very tough to catch from post 8 under jockey Eddie Razo Jr.

If Artemus Sunrise is unable to hold sway, then the winner could come from a handful of other contenders.

Among them are Neuf de Coeur and Televangelist, the second and third finishers in a similar allowance run around two turns here July 23.