Amazombie captures Potrero Grande

"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 (In Excess

[Ire]), who also has an unraced four-year-old named Amazing Fleet (Blue Afleet)

and an unnamed juvenile filly by Golden Gear. Wilshe Amaze is half-sister to

dual stakes victor Flom's Prospector (Native Prospector), and this is the same

family as Grade 2-placed stakes winner Al the Doctor (Valiant Dancer) and

multiple Grade 2-placed Arcades Ambo (Dusty Canyon).