Amalfi Coast winning the Carotene Stakes on October 20 at Woodbine Racetrack.
Photo Credit: Michael Burns
Woodbine Press Release
TORONTO, November 21, 2019 – Amalfi Coast, a three-year-old daughter of Tapizar, goes after her third straight stakes score when she goes postward in Sunday’s Grade 2 $175,000 Bessarabian, at Woodbine.
The seven-furlong main track feature for fillies and mares, three-years-old and upward, has drawn 12 starters, including Terra Racing Stable homebred Amalfi Coast.
Trained by Kevin Attard, the chestnut has been at the top of her game in her first two stakes engagements.
On September 22, in what was her sixth career start and first added-money appearance, Amalfi Coast coasted to a 2 ½-length victory in the one-mile Ontario Damsel (turf) Stakes.
Just under a month later, the filly was back in the winner’s circle, this time in the 1 1/8-mile Carotene Stakes, also contested over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Amalfi Coast’s first five efforts came on the Woodbine Tapeta, yielding one win, two seconds, a third, and a fourth.
Her maiden-breaking victory – in her fourth start – was a 4 ¾-length romp at seven panels on August 2.
“She’s definitely been very versatile,” praised Attard. “We’re asking her to cut back from a mile and an eighth to seven furlongs … it’s going to be a little bit challenging. She’s at home, and she’ll be facing older horses for the first time, and that’s another little hurdle there as well. But we’re at home, and it’s a lot easier to go from your stall to the front side than it is to put her on a van for 10 hours.”
The conditioner, who has 56 wins on the campaign and 465 wins overall, was impressed with both of Amalfi Coast’s stakes performances to date.
Choosing which one stands out as her top effort isn’t an easy call, admitted Attard.
“I think both races were equally impressive. She’s learned to rate, which is nice, she stretched out to a mile and an eighth, which is nice, but I’ve been really happy with her past two races. She always trained like she was going to be a good horse, and it took a while for her to break her maiden, but now she seems to have figured things out. So, hopefully, she continues to improve and comes up with another big effort on Sunday.”
Debuting last May at Woodbine, Amalfi Coast finished a hard-charging second – at odds of 13-1 – to Miss Behave in the 6 ½-furlong race.
“She’s been training well,” offered Attard of the filly that brings a 3-2-1 mark from seven starts into the Bessarabian. “She hasn’t skipped a beat and she seems as good as ever. We’re going into the race in great shape. She’s really good (around the barn) and has a great temperament. You wouldn’t even know she’s in the barn.”
Her sire, Tapizar, won six of 14 career starts for Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC. The son of Tapit won the 2012 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in what was the final start of the Kentucky-bred’s career.
Trainer Roger Attfield and Kinghaven Farms teamed to win the first two editions of the Bessarabian – in 1985 with Summer Mood and one year later with Playlist.
Conditioner Josie Carroll has won three runnings of the Bessarabian, including the last two, both with Moonlit Promise. She also won with Smart Surprise in 2008, and sends out the trio of Gamble’s Candy, Heavenly Hill and Painting this year.
The race is named after Canada’s champion older female of 1986, a multiple stakes-winning daughter of Vice Regent trained by Michael Doyle and owned by Eaton Hall Farm. She finished her racing career with an 18-5-4 mark from 37 starts.
The Bessarabian is carded as race eight on Sunday’s 11-race program. First post is 1:05 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action through HPIBet.com.
$175,000 Bessarabian Stakes (Grade 2)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Painting – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll
2 – Amalfi Coast – Eurico Rosa da Silva – Kevin Attard
3 – Zestina – David Moran – Sid Attard
4 – Heavenly Hill – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll
5 – Above All Names – Gary Boulanger – Blair Miller
6 – Xenobia – Nik Juarez – Jonathan Thomas
7 – Gamble’s Candy – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
8 – Souper Striking – Jerome Lermyte – Michael Trombetta
9 – Misericordia – Jevian Toledo – Jorge Duarte, Jr.
10 – Red Cabernet – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ian Black
11 – Lady Mamba – Rafael Hernandez – Cherie DeVaux
12 – Special Relativity – David Cohen – Norm McKnight
