Overlooked as the 37-1 longest shot, Kopion was prominent from the start and drew off to a convincing win in Thursday’s $301,500 La Brea (G1), orchestrating a longshot exacta in the seven-furlong test for three-year-old fillies on Santa Anita’s opening day card. Kazushi Kimura picked up the mount on the chestnut daughter of Omaha Beach.
Spendora, a 25-1 outsider in her first stakes attempt, rallied to be a clear second while never challenging the winner, completing a $467.80 exacta ($1 denomination). Next came Sugar Fish, who rallied from last at 8-1 to edge multiple Grade 3 winner and 5-2 second choice Hope Road by a half-length for third. Accuracy wound up fifth, and she was followed by 7-5 favorite One Magic Philly, Sandy Bottom, and Kinza.
Trained by Dick Mandella, Kopion was making her first start since well-beaten fourth in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) last April, the only poor performance in her brief career. She easily captured her first two starts, breaking her maiden at Del Mar in November 2023 and opening her sophomore campaign with a 5 3/4-length triumph in January’s Santa Ynez (G3). Kopion followed with a respectable second in the Las Virgenes (G2) a month later, but something went amiss in the Santa Anita Oaks next out.
She’s owned by Spendthrift Farm, and the same connections had to scratch Tamara from the La Brea field after the Grade 1-winning juvenile spiked a fever.
“I thought about putting (Kopion) in the Las Flores (G3) (on Jan. 4), but there is only one Grade 1,” Mandella said. “She has been getting better and better. “I told Kaz (Kimura) she is quick and you don’t need to rush her. He did a great job. I was shocked that she was 35-1. I had to scratch my other horse, Tamara, this morning. She had a virus and came down with a 102 temperature.”
Kopion tracked Sandy Bottom through opening fractions in :22.17 and :44.32 and overtook the pacesetter after straightening for home, drawing clear with a furlong remaining and scoring by nearly three lengths. She was timed in 1:22.08.
“We are high as a kite right now,” Spendthrift owner Eric Gustavson said. “We had a bunch of friends and family come in for the race. It was such a crazy day because we had Tamara and she scratched, we got the text from Richard this morning, so we were all down. Now this, this is racing! It is great.
“This is such a big deal a Grade 1 winner on the dirt for Omaha Beach, all glory to God we are over the moon.”
Bred in Kentucky by Tall Oaks Farm, Kopion hails from the classy Galloping Ami, an unraced daughter of Victory Gallop who is also the dam of Canadian champion three-year-old male Ami’s Gizmo and Grade 2 winner Ami’s Flatter. This is the immediate female family of champion Canadian champion older female and sprinter Ami’s Mesa and Canadian classic winner Ami’s Holiday, and Kopion was purchased for $270,000 as a yearling at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.
Earlier on the program, J B Strikes Back recorded a 16-1 upset while making his stakes debut in the $201,500 Laffit Pincay Jr. (G2). Doug O’Neill trains the three-year-old for Purple Rein Racing, who claimed the chestnut gelding for $25,000 at Del Mar this summer, and J B Strikes Again carried his improving form forward while stretching his win streak to three, completing 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:43.80.
He dueled for the early lead with Ashcroft before seizing control on the backstretch, and J B Strikes Back turned back a serious challenge from Tarantino nearing the conclusion of the far turn, reasserting control in the final furlong to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Antonio Fresu was up on the Kentucky-bred son of Goldencents.
Tarantino, the 7-2 second choice among eight runners following a runner-up in the Nov. 23 Native Diver (G3), held second by a nose over 20-1 outsider American Admiral. Express Train, who was making a title defense in the race formerly known as the San Antonio, came next in fourth. Ashcroft, 3-2 favorite Katonah, Goldeneye, and Lammas completed the order of finish.
J B Strikes Back, a $30,000 maiden claiming winner when making his third career start in mid-July, improved his career record to 9-4-0-0. Out of the Scat Daddy mare Allanah, he counts Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Reincarnate as a half-brother.
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