Tom Amoss

How did we get hooked on this sport? We all have stories about how our love affair developed and blossomed. The TDN will be reaching out to numerous notable people in the industry to get their stories to find out how they got hooked and stayed hooked on the sport. Annise Montplaisir, Executive Director, Amplify I became hooked on racing when I was 12 years old, after watching the 2007 movie "Ruffian." I already loved horses and was avidly involved in the 4-H horse project, but growing up on the...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 09/04/2024 Licensee: Johanna Urieta, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol— Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a...

In her debut, Quickick (McKinzie) ran well to be third but couldn't overcome a slow beginning as she dropped 15 lengths off the pace in the early going. So trainer Tom Amoss added blinkers and jockey Dylan Davis made sure to stay close to the early pace. That made all the difference as Quickick broke her maiden in Sunday's seventh race at Saratoga, winning by 2 1/2 lengths. Amoss also told Davis to try to get the filly to the outside where she wouldn't be bothered by the kickback. She...

Joel Politi's Kimchi Cat, entered for main track only, made the most of her stakes debut when the Bolton Landing Stakes came off the turf Sunday at Saratoga. The dark bay filly sat just off of pacesetting favorite Viggiedal through an opening quarter in :22.03. She rolled up four wide into the lane and took the lead from the favorite with a furlong to run before sailing clear to the wire. Icona Mama overtook Viggiedal late for second. "Today, [trainer] Tom [Amoss] said there was a lot of speed, so...

6th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:53 p.m. ET. Lining up for another competitive maiden special weight at Saratoga, several 2-year-old fillies will be making the first start of their careers. TRADING STRATEGY (Quality Road) was purchased for $500,000 by Klaravich Stables during last year's Keeneland September Sale. The Chad Brown trainee is out of Dothraki Sea (Union Rags), herself a 2020 $560,000 Keeneland November buy for Band of Brothers while GSP Mc Vay (Constitution)--a $1.25 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale grad--was in-utero. This dam is a half-sister to GISW...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. - The first-time trainer Tom Amoss sent 2-year-old filly Kimchi Cat (Twirling Candy) to the races, he was expecting something good to happen. "We were very excited," Amoss said. "She had been doing very, very well in the mornings." That was June 14, a Friday, at Churchill Downs. The optimism waned a bit when they got to the paddock. "There was a very mature, good (Steve) Asmussen in there, and I was like, 'oh, God, we're in trouble," Amoss said. He was right. Viggiedal (Vekoma), the...

When Storm the Court (Court Vision) won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2019, trainer and co-owner Peter Eurton tried to be realistic. The horse went off at 45-1 and that year's race was considered one of the weakest runnings of the Juvenile ever. He knew he didn't have a superstar on his hands, but he had every reason to believe that Storm the Court would at least be competitive in stakes company. Maybe he'd be a GIII Ohio Derby-type horse. It's just that it didn't turn out that way....

4th-CD, $120,000, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 2:13 p.m. ET YOU'LL BE BACK (Practical Joke), the second priciest filly by the sire in 2023, is unveiled for Gregory Tramontin by trainer Tom Amoss. A daughter of Advance Party (Empire Maker), the $575,000 KEESEP purchase is a granddaughter of the prolific Helen Alexander - Helen Groves's Aurora, a daughter of the stalwart champion juvenile filly Althea. A full-sister to Japanese champion 2yo filly Yamanin Paradise, Advance Party is a half-sister to UAE Horse of the Year Festival of Light (A.P....

The span between Memorial Day and the third leg of the Triple Crown is often a quiet one in the racing world. Not this year, though. Here's a shaking-out of a reporter's notebook from a week that generated some unexpected headlines. Louisiana's move to more lenient medication rules: TDN's survey of seven trainers--Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Michael Stidham, Tom Amoss, Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Cherie DeVaux--spoke volumes about the announcement by the Louisiana Racing Commission that it would be implementing "emergency" standards that softened a number of drug-regulating standards as...

Thursday's TDN contains a story by Bill Finley discussing the set of more lenient medication rules that the Louisiana Racing Commission has recently enacted. Louisiana is not a state governed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, and the new rules, which replace the ARCI model rules previously used, are scheduled to go into effect on June 8.  In Thursday's story, HISA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus suggested that there might have to be additional scrutiny on horses coming out of Louisiana races in the spring because of the more...

The Belmont Stakes on FOX will feature Curt Menefee, Tom Amoss and Richard Migliore as its principal hosts, FOX Sports announced Thursday morning. On Saturday, June 8 beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET with Belmont Day on FOX, the network's pre-race show coverage is anchored by veteran studio host Menefee, multiple grade I-winning trainer Amoss and retired jockey Migliore. Hosting from the paddock, Charissa Thompson will be joined by FOX Sports wagering expert Chris "The Bear" Fallica and handicapper Jonathon Kinchen, who will both be providing up-to-the-minute wagering expertise. Reporter Tom...

6th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:21 p.m. ET. Bred by the Don Alberto Corporation, WASASHORE (Medaglia d'Oro) debuts for Michael and Katherine Ball, who paid $825,000 for her at last year's Keeneland September Sale. Trained by Tom Amoss, the bay filly is out of GSW Sacristy (Pulpit), a $700,000 purchase at '13 Keeneland November by Don Alberto while in-foal to Medaglia d'Oro. A half-sister to Japanese G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen S. heroine Mozu Superflare (Speightstown), the mare also produced GI Santa Anita Oaks runner-up Flor de La Mar (Tiznow). TJCIS...