Amazombie captures Potrero Grande

Amazombie (outside) would not be denied his first graded victory (Benoit Photos) Thomas C. Sanford and Bill Spawr’s Amazombie earned his first graded victory on Sunday when gutting out a head decision over Captain Cherokee in the $150,000, Grade 2 Potrero Grande at Santa Anita Park. The Spawr-trained five-year-old was sent off the 7-2 second choice in the 10-horse field and paid $9.20, $4.40 and $3.20 for stopping the clock in 1:14 1/5. It was a battle on the front end between M One Rifle, Bet on Victor and Ventana for the lead through opening splits of :21 2/5, :43 2/5 and 1:07 4/5, but Mike Smith kept Amazombie settled out of the feuding on the outside in midpack. The bay gelding went four wide around the turn and took off in the lane, hooking up with Captain Cherokee late. Digging down, Amazombie just got the best of his rival in the fast-track 6 1/2-furlong event. Ventana was best of the early crowd another 2 1/4 lengths back, with M One Rifle filling the fifth spot. Don Tito came next and was followed by Chocolate Candy, 9-5 favorite Crown of Thorns, Bet on Victor, Colgan’s Chip and Atta Boy Roy.

“Bill (Spawr) and I discussed that we were going to follow the number one
horse (Atta Boy Roy). But he didn’t get away so well,” Smith explained. “When he
didn’t get away, I just worked on getting out in the clear. So I just kept on
needling my way out and I finally got out in the clear. I was able to sit there
and make a run with (Steve) Asmussen’s horse (Captain Cherokee). We both fought
it out to the end.

“He’s one of the coolest little horses I’ve been around. He’s just so full of
class, and he knows what he’s out there for.”

“It was a good ride,” Spawr said, before adding. “This horse is the real
deal. Nobody believes in him. He’s better on dirt. He’s a dirt horse. He came
into this just perfect. If you don’t understand perfect, just look at his body.

“Anyway, we’re excited. It didn’t happen like we wanted out of the gate, but
then he (Mike Smith) moved him out and he got there. We’ll keep him on dirt.”

Amazombie competed against allowance/optional claiming rivals exclusively
before showing up in the Sunshine Millions Sprint on January 19. A head victory
in that test saw the bay go in the grassy Sensational Star H. prior to this one,
where he dueled before falling a half-length short on the wire in second.
Graduating against graded rivals this time around, Amazombie has now banked
$418,708 to go along with his 17-7-4-2 career mark.

Bred in Gregg Anderson in California, Amazombie RNAed for $32,000 as a
Barretts January two-year-old. He is out of the winning Wilshe Amaze, who also has an unraced four-year-old named Amazing Fleet and an unnamed juvenile filly by Golden Gear. Wilshe Amaze is half-sister to
dual stakes victor Flom’s Prospector, and this is the same
family as Grade 2-placed stakes winner Al the Doctor and multiple Grade 2-placed
Arcades Ambo.