Following Amma’s victory in the $1.05-million I Love February Trophy on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, trainer Ian Parsard is hoping that his three-year-old bay filly could develop into a notable runner capable of competing in the Classic series of races.

Ridden by Raddesh Roman, Amma (Bern Identity – Blufield) made one move to beat rivals by 11 lengths in the maiden condition race for native-bred three-year-olds going seven furlongs (1,400m). Although the final time of 1:28.1 (24.0 x 48.2 x 1:14.1) was nothing to get excited about, the manner of victory caught the eye of many.

Amma made her debut on January 27, 2024, finishing third behind stablemate Blu Sensation and Affair over 7 ½ furlongs (1,500m). Parsard praised
Amma’s progress, citing her evident Classic potential.

“This was the second time out, and we were really hoping for an improvement from the first run, which was really a filler for Blu Sensation. That race was about two and a half weeks ago, and she came back and worked well for this race,” Parsard told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.

“We thought Amma had an outside chance of winning, but she really put forward encouraging improvement, and so we keep our fingers crossed. She is a full sister to
Blue Vinyl, who is a double Classic winner, so you always hope that line will show quality, and she showed very good improvement today, so that is something to be encouraged about.

“If she is anywhere close to her brother, we will be happy, but this is a good run to indicate that she is on the right path.

“We will try to keep her sound, and if she keeps improving, we will take a shot when the Classic races come,” Parsard further stated.

Amma stormed to the front of the field at the start of the race, taking the early lead over Affair (Dane Dawkins), Himaya (Abigail Able), and Oil Machine (Phillip Parchment).
Amma continued her steady gallop on the front end down the backstretch until she approached the half-mile (800m), at which point she attempted to increase the tempo, but Affair was up to the task.

Amma came off the final curve cruising, and when Roman asked her to accelerate, the bay filly switched gears and drove home to win easily.

Kaylyn Melody (Javaniel Patterson) took second place, while Brenda Boy (Omar Walker) finished third.

“We will give her a little rest now as she has raced back to back, but it looks like she wants to go longer, although she was up front today. We will give her a chance to get herself back together, and we will take it one step at a time. The real Classic races are further in the year. As you know, the calendar has changed, and we have some time, so we will take our time step by step,” Parsard said.