Omaha Beach's Kopion Romps in La Brea

Spendthrift Farm, forced to scratch Grade I winner Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) with an elevated temperature Thursday morning, had a more than suitable understudy in the afternoon's GI La Brea Stakes when Kopion (Omaha Beach) romped home a geared-down 2 3/4-length winner at Santa Anita. Returning from nine months on the sidelines and dismissed at 35-1, the chestnut filly chased pacesetting Sandy Bottom (Omaha Beach) through an opening quarter in :22.17. Kopion easily moved up to engage the pacesetter as the half went up in :44.32 and she grabbed command out of the turn, quickly opening up a two-length advantage. She skipped further clear in upper stretch and sailed under the wire unchallenged. Fellow longshot Splendora (Audible), at 26-1, was second and Sugar Fish (Accelerate) closed strongly along the rail for third. The time for the seven furlongs was 1:22.08.

 

“We are high as a kite right now,” said Spendthrift's Eric Gustavson. “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 I winner on the dirt for Omaha Beach. All glory to God, we are over the moon.”

 

Kopion, a first-out winner at Del Mar last November, went wire-to-wire to earn a 5 3/4-length victory in the Jan. 7 GIII Santa Ynez Stakes. She suffered her first loss when second stretched to one mile in the Feb. 10 GIII Las Virgenes Stakes and had not been out since tiring to a well-beaten fourth in the Apr. 6 GII Santa Anita Oaks.

 

“I thought about putting her in the Las Flores, but there is only one Grade I,” said winning trainer Richard Mandella. “She has been getting better and better. I told [jockey] Kaz [Kimura] that she is quick and you don't need to rush her.”

 

One Magic Philly (Good Magic), the 7-5 favorite who was exiting the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, tracked the pacesetter in third through the opening half mile before fading to sixth in an eight-horse field.

 

“We broke good and I had a nice spot,” jockey Flavien Prat said. “When it was time to get going, I asked her and there was no reaction.”

Pedigree Notes:

One of four graded winners for Spendthrift's Omaha Beach, Kopion is the stallion's second winner at the top level. She follows GI Natalma Stakes winner And One More Time.

Out of 2016 Outstanding Broodmare in Canada Galloping Ami, Kopion is a half-sister to that year's Canadian champion 3-year-old Amis Gizmo (Giant Gizmo). The mare has a yearling filly by Essential Quality who RNA'd for $275,000 at this year's Keeneland September sale. With no reported foal this year, she was bred back to Curlin.

Thursday, December 26^th, 2024: Santa Anita

LA BREA S. PRESENTED BY DON JULIO-GI, $301,500, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.08, ft.

1–KOPION, 122, f, 3, by Omaha Beach

                1st Dam: Galloping Ami (Outstanding Broodmare-Can),

                                 by Victory Gallop

                2nd Dam: Secret Ami, by Secret Claim

                3rd Dam: Sybelle Ami, by Alwasmi

1ST GRADE I WIN. ($270,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift

Farm LLC; B-Tall Oaks Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella;

J-Kazushi Kimura. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0,

$314,600. *1/2 to Amis Gizmo (Giant Gizmo), Ch. 3-year-old

Colt-Can, GSW, $800,022; Aragorn Ami (Aragorn {Ire}), SW,

$112,535; and to Ami's Flatter (Flatter), GSW & GISP,

$536,931. Werk Nick Rating: B.

 

2–Splendora, 120, f, 3, by Audible

                1st Dam: Miss Freeze (SW), by Frost Giant

                2nd Dam: Reata's Vixen, by Sligo Bay (Ire)

                3rd Dam: Top of the League, by Lite the Fuse

  1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK

   TYPE. ($125,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-By Talla Racing LLC; B-The

Elkstone Group LLC (MD); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.

 

3–Sugar Fish, 122, f, 3, by Accelerate

                1st Dam: Madeira Park (GSW, $318,992), by Langfuhr

                2nd Dam: Capilano, by Demons Begone

                3rd Dam: Bella Isabella, by Conquistador Cielo

   1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($40,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-By Talla

Racing LLC or Sweetwater Stable; B-George Gilbert (KY); T-Jeff

Mullins. $36,000.

Margins: 2 3/4, 2, HF. Odds: 37.70, 25.60, 7.60.

 

Also Ran: Hope Road, Accuracy, One Magic Philly, Sandy Bottom, Kinza. Scratched: Cavalieri, Tamara, Ultimate Authority.

Watch a clip of the finish here.  Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.

Source article courtesy of Thoroughbred Daily News.  Original article found here.