Alys Beach (inside) breaks her maiden by a head on debut July 30 (NYRA/Coglianese)
Hoosier Philly Possible for G3 Charles Town Oaks
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Greg Tramontin’s Alys Beach stalked and pounced to a gutsy debut maiden score on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course, getting her head down in time to take the 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for juvenile fillies. The effort was awarded a 60 Beyer Speed Figure.
Trained by Tom Amoss, the daughter of freshman sire Omaha Beach tracked in fourth under Tyler Gaffalione behind pacesetter Mugen before challenging for the lead in the stretch in tandem with the rallying Life Talk. The pair passed a tiring Mugen and battled strongly to the wire before a resolute Alys Beach got the better bob and completed the course in 1:18.58.
“She’s good and already back on the track,” said Amoss. “Often times when you run a young horse, you’ve got a really good line on just how precocious they are. One thing that stood out to us about Alys Beach was that she’s a real fighter in her workouts – she didn’t want to get beat. She needed that when she ran. It’s always nice, specifically with a young horse, to see them to display the same characteristics you see in the mornings.”
Amoss said Alys Beach would likely target a stakes engagement next, but that he has not made a decision on when or where that would occur.
“She certainly deserves a chance in a stakes race, there’s no question about that,” said Amoss. “As to leaving her at the one-turn distance or stretching her out to two turns, that is yet to be determined.”
Upcoming American stakes events for juvenile fillies include the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs on September 2 at Saratoga and the Grade 3, $300,000 Pocahontas at one-mile on September 16 at Churchill Downs, among others.
Amoss also provided an update on Gold Standard Racing Stable’s graded stakes-winner Hoosier Philly, who scratched the morning of the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 22 due to a minor foot issue. Amoss said the daughter of Into Mischief will not contest the 10-furlong Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama on August 19 here and will be rerouted to other stakes engagements this summer.
“She’s doing good. I brought her back to Kentucky because there’s nothing else for her up here,” said Amoss. “The Alabama is a mile and a quarter, and with the time she’s missed, it wouldn’t be in her best interest. We’re going to take a little bit of a different path.”
Amoss said he has nominated Hoosier Philly to the Grade 3, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks on August 25 at its namesake track and that the seven-furlong test for sophomore fillies is, “a possibility.”
