L'il Tootsie's two-turn surprise earns berth in Fair Grounds Oaks

You can win the Kentucky Oaks with a filly ultimately cut out to be a sprinter. Owner Joel Politi and trainer Tom Amoss know firsthand.

In 2019, Serengeti Empress scored a 13-1 Kentucky Oaks upset for them. Later that year she raced competitively in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and the following spring romped over a sloppy track in the two-turn Azeri, but Serengeti Empress’s peak post-Oaks performances came around one turn – a win in the Grade 1 Ballerina and a second last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The Filly and Mare Sprint was Nov. 7 and three weeks later Politi and Amoss debuted a 2-year-old filly named Li’l Tootsie in a Fair Grounds maiden sprint. Amoss said after the race he expected Li’l Tootsie to win, but she broke somewhat flat-footed and in an encouraging performance finished second.

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In her second start, Jan. 16, she validated Amoss’s confidence with a four-length maiden sprint win over the fast filly Euphoric, who won a Feb. 13 maiden race by more than 10 lengths. The day before, Amoss, with less confidence, tried Li’l Tootsie in a two-turn race against allowance foes. Amoss wondered if a second turn would hit his filly in the head. Instead, Li’l Tootsie rallied up the rail and won decisively.

Maybe Li’l Tootsie turns out better sprinting than routing, but she’s earned a start Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, where she faces Clairiere and Travel Column, who have traded decisions in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes last month and the Golden Rod Stakes last fall.

Politi and Amoss hope for a much happier Fair Grounds Oaks than the 2019 renewal in which Serengeti Empress bled through Lasix and was eased. Serengeti Empress already had shown form troughs at age 2, while Li’l Tootsie so far has been solid. Amoss has worked her only twice since the allowance win by design since the filly, by Tapiture, is made on the light side.

“Everything has gone to plan since her last race,” Amoss said. “I did have a lot of skepticism about her stretching out, mainly based on her pedigree,”

Li’l Tootsie is out of Informative Style, a sprinter during her racing career and a daughter of the sprinter, Dayjur. Li’l Tootsie outran her bloodlines last month, and if she does it again Saturday, it’s on to the Kentucky Oaks.