Amy C takes advantage of clean trip in Daisycutter Handicap
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Amy C was racing behind even-money favorite Twilight Gleaming leaving the turn of Friday’s $103,800 Daisycutter Handicap at Del Mar when jockey Umberto Rispoli chose to take a wide route in the stretch.
Rispoli’s tactics led to Amy C’s third stakes win in her last four starts. Twilight Gleaming, meanwhile, tried to close on the rail under jockey Mike Smith, but lacked racing room at a pivotal time, forcing Smith to check the five-time stakes winner. She was unable to recover.
Amy C ($9.20) had an uninterrupted rally and reached the front in the final furlong, winning by a half-length over 8-1 Tony Ann. The first two finishers are trained by Phil D’Amato.
Amy C was the third leader in the stretch of the turf sprint for fillies and mares. Sassy Nature (15-1) set an early pace of 22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, leading into the stretch. Tony Ann took over briefly, before she was caught by Amy C.
Tony Ann finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 13-1 Princess Adaleigh. The remaining order of finish was Sassy Nature, Unbridled Mary, Twilight Gleaming, Wide West, Xmas Surprise, and Secret Told.
Wide West finished sixth, but was demoted one position after the stewards ruled that Twilight Gleaming had insufficient racing room in the stretch. Wide West was ridden by Juan Hernandez.
Amy C ran five furlongs on turf in 56.49 seconds and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93.
Amy C, a 5-year-old English-bred mare by the Oasis Dream stallion Charming Thought, has won 6 of 12 starts and earned $332,385. The win in the Daisycutter was worth $60,000 to owners Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, and Robert LaPenta.
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Amy C was a maiden race winner in France in 2021 before joining trainer Chad Brown’s stable in New York later that year.
Amy C was sent to D’Amato for the 2022 season and has won 4 of 7 starts since the transfer, including the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes at Santa Anita last October and the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes there in January. Those races were run at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.
In her most recent start prior to the Daisycutter, Amy C finished third by three-quarters of a length to Poppy Flower in the Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs on turf on June 9 at Belmont Park.
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