Return to Breeders' Cup isn't on Ambitious Brew's agenda
ARCADIA, Calif.- Ambitious Brew won his first start of 2017 in Saturday’s $92,000 Sensational Star Stakes for California-breds on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita, his first start since a 13th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint here last November.
The same race is unlikely to figure in 2017 plans for Ambitious Brew, trainer Marty Jones said in the winner’s circle.
The BC Turf Sprint will be run at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 4, a distance Jones thinks may be too short for the 7-year-old Ambitious Brew.
“To me, he’s not a five-furlong horse,” Jones said. “I think 6 1/2 or seven furlongs is his best distance. We’ll see. It’s a long year.”
Owned by breeder Pamela Ziebarth, Ambitious Brew has won 8 of 22 starts and earned $559,225 in a career that began in 2013. The Sensational Star was his fourth stakes win.
Last September, Ambitious Brew won a division of the Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course. In 2015, Ambitious Brew won the E.B. Johnston Stakes for California-breds at a mile on dirt at Los Alamitos.
Jones said he is not eager to race Ambitious Brew too often this year. The gelding’s next start could be the $75,000 Siren Lure Stakes on the hillside turf course on April 23.
“He seems to run well fresh,” Jones said. “We’ll let him recover from this race. We’ll space his races a bit.
“He’s a special horse and he’s acted like that for four years.”