Li'l Tootsie won't be part of Amoss's Rachel Alexandra team
Tom Amoss could enter as many as three horses in the Feb. 13 Rachel Alexandra, but breakout maiden winner Li’l Tootsie is not one of them.
Li’l Tootsie, who got an 89 Beyer Speed Figure for her second-start maiden win Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds, had been under consideration for the Rachel Alexandra but instead will be aimed toward the six-furlong Dixie Belle on Feb. 13 at Oaklawn, Amoss said.
“We’ll give her at least one more sprint,” he said.
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The three possible Rachel Alexandra runners are Zoom Up, Littlestitious, and Off We Go.
Zoom Up won a first-level, dirt route allowance race Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds to earn a start in the Rachel Alexandra. That victory followed a Dec. 19 maiden win at Fair Grounds. Zoom Up recently lost that win and the purse from the race, and Amoss had to pay a $1,000 fine after Zoom Up tested positive for a metabolite of the tranquilizer acepromazine above the permitted raceday level.
“We are very careful with approved medication in the barn, but we obviously made a mistake,” Amoss said. “I take full responsibility.”
Zoom Up got a 74 Beyer for her January win. She’ll need to run faster to compete with the likes of Travel Column and Clairiere, the one-two finishers from the Golden Rod Stakes last fall and both likely Rachel Alexandra runners.
Littlestitious set a slow pace in the Jan. 16 Silverbulletday but faded to finish fifth.
“We’ll give her another chance,” Amoss said.
Amoss also confirmed No Parole will make his first start of 2021 in the $100,000 Louisiana Premier Sprint on Feb. 10 at Delta Downs. No Parole won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last summer.
◗ Jockey Mitchell Murrill has been suspended seven calendar days, Jan. 30 through Feb. 5, as a result of careless riding in the second race on Jan. 21. Murrill has appealed the suspension. Entering this week’s racing, Murrill had 43 wins at the Fair Grounds meet, one fewer than leading rider James Graham.