Circumstances dictated Amy's Challenge play catch-up for the first time in her brief racing career Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
She could.
Bobbling at the gate, the undefeated Artie Schiller filly was tasked with running down Mia Mischief, a fellow two-time winner from the mighty Steve Asmussen stable in the $125,000 Dixie Belle.
She did, barely.
Getting up by a neck in her 3-year-old debut, Amy's Challenge gave props to the juvenile racing at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, where she was "Horse of the Meet" after beating males twice last year.
She did, emphatically.
Beyond that, Mac Robertson took a wait-and-see approach with the dark bay or brown filly he trains for longtime client Joe Novogratz.
Stretching out to one mile for Oaklawn's $125,000 Martha Washington Feb. 10 is the "target" for his "super athletic" filly, said Robertson, although the Dixie Belle, he said, proved tough enough.
"It wasn't like (Mia Mischief) stopped that much," Robertson said, referring to the runner-up's 2 1/2-length cushion back to third-place finisher Secret Passion, the latter closing on the top two at 23-1.
For the first time in her career, Amy's Challenge was not an odds-on favorite, going off as 7-5 second choice in a six-horse field. Overcoming public skepticism is one thing; compensating for a slow start is something else.
With Mia Mischief getting the opening half-mile in 44.49 seconds, Amy's Challenge came off the hot pace rather than contribute to it.
"Just a little slip," said jockey Jareth Loveberry. "It actually made it better because she got to sit and relax off (the pace) just a little bit. It kind of dictated where we wanted to be."
The two chalks turned for home a head apart, Amy's Challenge getting up late from outside with a fast-rated six furlongs in 1:10.61. She paid $4.80 to win and bumped her career earnings to $136,800.
"She is all heart down the lane," said Loveberry, who rode the Dixie Belle winner in both previous starts. "Head to head she dug through and finished strong."
"I thought Loveberry gave her a great ride," said Robertson. "Asmussen's filly is awfully fast, but maybe at the end she was getting a little tired, too, so great ride."
Santana said the runner-up gave a winning effort.
"She missed a few weeks of training and I know we had snow days, but she ran a good race and tried hard to the end. Next race, she won't be topped."
Saturday at the park
Two undercard winners impressed both visually and against the clock.
Bee Jersey, a 4-year-old Jersey Town colt, won by six lengths going a mile in 1:36.58 for Asmussen with Santana up. Bee Jersey won a Keeneland allowance in October after resting from a trip to Dubai, where the chestnut colt raced twice last spring.
Earning $45,600 from a $76,000 purse, Bee Jersey ($7.80) made his first start Saturday since placing second in an entry-level allowance Nov. 22 at Churchill. Don't be surprised if he pops up in an Oaklawn stake for older horses, the Grade 3 $500,000 Razorback Handicap Feb. 19 (won last year by stablemate Gun Runner) or the listed $300,000 Essex Handicap March 17.
Guns Loaded, a Grade 3 winner in California for trainer Doug O'Neill, won a $77,000 second-level allowance/optional claimer. Now 7, the D'wildcat colt won at Oaklawn in 2014 for Cody Autrey and in 2015 for Chris Hartman. He survived the claiming box Saturday when tagged for $40,000, leading from gate to wire through six furlongs in 1:10.22 with Edwin Maldonado aboard and paying $6.60 as the race favorite.
Sports on 01/21/2018