Chocolate Martini has work cut out for her in Coaching Club American Oaks

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Tom Amoss certainly doesn’t relish the thought of going up against both Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou with his Grade 2-winning filly Chocolate Martini again Sunday in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks. But such is life in the fast lane when spending the summer at Saratoga.

Chocolate Martini finished fifth, beaten 10 1/4 lengths by Monomoy Girl, in the Kentucky Oaks. Midnight Bisou finished third that day before returning to dominate the Grade 2 Mother Goose last month at Belmont Park.

“Obviously, it won’t be easy going up against both those fillies again Sunday, but we had made plans to run in the Coaching Club Oaks before we realized the two of them would be in there,” Amoss said while en route to Saratoga on Wednesday.

Chocolate Martini, who won the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks last winter, was third in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on June 16 following her effort in the Kentucky Oaks.

“Her last race was really disappointing,” said Amoss. “She didn’t break well, made a middle move to get in good position, but didn’t finish at the end. I’m a little concerned about the way she really didn’t finish in each of her last two races, but she’s trained really well since she’s been here – the way she trained prior to winning at the Fair Grounds.”

Chocolate Martini has had three breezes since returning from California, including a sharp half-mile in 47.96 seconds here Tuesday.

“I lightened up on her training since California, but did call upon her the other morning to make sure there was something there, to see if she’d respond, and she did,” said Amoss, who will have the services of jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for the Coaching Club American Oaks.

Amoss also said he has no definite plans for Lone Sailor, beaten a nose last out by Core Beliefs in the Ohio Derby following eighth- and fifth-place finishes behind Justify in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

“The original plan was to run him in the Indiana Derby, but when the news broke that it didn’t look like Justify would make it up here this summer, we decided to bypass the race and will likely take a bigger look now at the Jim Dandy and Travers,” said Amoss.

Lone Sailor sizzled a bullet half-mile in 46.31 here Sunday.