Amalfi Coast steals the show in the Sweet Briar Too Stakes

TORONTO, October 23, 2020 – Amalfi Coast was back on top of her game on Friday night under the lights at Woodbine Racetrack as she won the $100,000 Sweet Briar Too Stakes by open lengths for trainer Kevin Attard.

O’Keeffe, Summer Sunday and Victory Kingdom raced three-across on top through early fractions of :22.04 and :44.45 over the main track in the 6-1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares three years old and up.

Meanwhile, Amalfi Coast sat off the pace along the rail before firing through inside of the leading O’Keeffe coming off the final turn. The four-year-old chestnut filly shot to the lead and opened up 4-1/2 lengths down the lane before crossing the wire in 1:15.35.

“There was a ton of speed in the race and I just got to sit off of them and wait for my chance to find an opening and pull the trigger,” said winning jockey Justin Stein.

Overlooked at odds of 10-1 after a disappointing eighth-place finish last time out in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes, Amalfi Coast returned $22.20 to her backers for a $2 win ticket and paid $8.80 to place and $4.20 to show.

“Her last race was a little disappointing, but if you look back to her form sprinting on the synthetic, she’s been pretty consistent and ran against the best fillies around,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “Rightfully so, she kind of deserved to be 10-1 today, but she showed that she’s a serious contender.”

Second-place went to Souper Escape, with Emma-Jayne Wilson, who finished a half-length in front of 8-5 favourite Painting and Patrick Husbands, while Victory Kingdom, Magic Spell, O’Keeffe and Summer Sunday completed the order of finish. Fair Maiden and Nantucket Red were scratched.

The victory was the first in five seasonal starts for Amalfi Coast, whose previous best effort this year was a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes on August 16 behind Painting and the winner, Souper Escape.

Owned by Terra Racing Stable, the homebred Tapizar-Include Katherine filly was a three-time Sovereign Award finalist after closing her sophomore campaign with three consecutive stakes wins in the Ontario Damsel, Carotene and Grade 2 Bessarabian. She has now won five of her 13 career starts.

Amalfi Coast is a half-sister to Afleet Katherine, who will compete in Sunday’s $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes as the 5-2 second choice to Woodbine Oaks champion Curlin’s Voyage. Attard is hoping for a big weekend ahead as he also sends out Clayton, 6-1 on the morning line in tomorrow’s $400,000 Breeder’s Stakes, looking to upset OLG Canadian Triple Crown contender Mighty Heart.

“We’re excited [about tomorrow],” said Attard. “Our job is to go out there and spoil it and we’re hoping to do that. The horse [Clayton] is doing really well and I wouldn’t want to trade positions with anyone.”

First race post time on Saturday and Sunday is 1:10 p.m.