Roguish behaviour prevented Amalfi Knight from contesting all the major events for two-year-olds this year, but he has now settled down and looks set for a bright career.
The WA-bred gelding has responded to the patient care of his trainer and driver Aiden De Campo and he gave a sample of his class when he scored an easy win in the $21,000 Slay The Day Pace over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“It has taken a while to get him right,” said De Campo. “He was a horrible horse to break in. He would run all over the track and couldn’t run in a straight line, and he would break up for no reason, veer off at right angles and hit fences.
“So, we have taken a cautious approach with him and given him enough time to get going. Now I couldn’t be happier with the way he is going. He still has a lot of gear on him, but his tractability is super.”
On Friday night Amalfi Knight was having his first start for a month, since he covered a lot of extra ground and won a 2130m race at Gloucester Park. He was the $1.50 favourite from the No. 5 barrier, and he was untroubled to race in the breeze while The Final Offer ($12) was setting the pace.
After a 28.4sec. third quarter Amalfi Knight zoomed to the front 220m from home and won by more than a length from the $5.50 second fancy In Rare Air, who finished strongly from seventh at the bell. The final 400m was covered in 27.7sec. and the winner rated 1.55.1.
“I was happy to be in the breeze, keeping him comfortable,” said De Campo. “I thought I had the leader covered and I didn’t want to go too hard. Now I want to give him three or four more runs, mainly for his education.”
Amalfi Knight is by American sire Capt Midnight and is the third foal out of Sportswriter mare Jasmin Amal, who raced 31 times for eight wins, 12 placings and $101,511, with a highlight of her career being her second to Dodolicious in the group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies in July 2015.
Jasmin Amal’s first foal Aussie Scooter won 15 races in WA and now has won another seven times in the United States. Amalfi Knight was purchased for $25,000 at the 2024 Perth APG yearling sale, and he has earned $18,782 from two wins and a second placing from three starts.
