Amoss Considering Options for Shareholder Value

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Shareholder Value impressed many with a swift acceleration Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, beating winners in a first-level 2-year-old allowance going a mile and 70 yards.

Trained by 11-time Fair Grounds champion trainer Tom Amoss, the son of Uncle Mo   brought back memories of G M B Racing's Mo Tom, by the same sire, whose similar swift closing kick earned him a smart victory in January's Grade III Lecomte Stakes. 

"The one thing I can say about these two is they can be pretty smart," Amoss said. "They're laid back around the barn and easy to work with in the mornings, but they can be very difficult in the afternoons."

Being difficult is something Shareholder Value has ratcheted up a few notches for Amoss. The well-built bay has, despite his successful ventures and pair of wins, been a challenge. 

"He's been a difficult horse," Amoss said. "He's mentally immature and that had me do something I don't typically do, which is put blinkers on him earlier this year to try to get him to focus. He didn't understand competition, but then all of a sudden he got aggressive in the blinkers. He even, on the day he broke his maiden at Keeneland, was too aggressive for my liking. So, that wasn't a successful experiment and I took off the blinkers for this race. 

"I've been doing a lot of work with him in company and was pleased with Monday's effort. It was encouraging, especially that final quarter of a mile. He's getting better, but it's up in the air where we go from here. On one hand, he's improving and on another, he's still immature. I'm excited that he still has much better to come. In the meantime, we'll see how he trains and then decide on the Lecomte."

A $190,000 Keeneland September purchase by Klaravich, Shareholder Value is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Rylee's Song. A first foal, he hails from the family of Grade I winner Capt Candyman Can, to whom his dam is a half sister.