Kopion

Kopion rallied from off the pace to win in her career debut by 3 3/4 lengths at Del Mar in an eye-catching unveiling Nov. 26, 2023, for owner Spendthrift Farm and Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. The bay filly is from the first crop of Omaha Beach, who won the Arkansas Derby in 2019 for Mandella.

Kopion made her second career start in the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes Jan. 7, 2024, at Santa Anita Park, and she aced the class test with a front-running 5 ¾-length runaway victory under Flavien Prat.

In her next start, Kopion ran well and finished second behind Kinza in the Grade 3, one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes Feb. 10, her two-turn debut. She then checked in a distant fourth of five fillies in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks and was subsequently given a break of nearly nine months.

Kopion returned from the sidelines in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, 2024, and was sent off as the longest shot in an eight-filly field. Kopion showed no rust, however, and relished the cutback to seven furlongs. After stalking the early pace, she romped home as much the best in the La Brea under first-time rider Kazushi Kimura, lighting up the tote board at odds of 37.70-1 and scoring her third win in five career starts.

Kopion was then at it again in her next start, winning the Grade 2 $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes going seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Feb. 1, 2025. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite in a short field of four in the Santa Monica, Kopion pressed the pace and then dominated the field late to draw off to a 4 1/2-length victory.

In a battle for early-season supremacy in the national filly and mare sprint division, Kopion was victorious again in her next start in the Grade 1 $1 million Derby City Distaff going seven furlongs on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs on May 3. Sent off as the 2.74-1 second favorite in a 10-horse field in the Derby City Distaff, Kopion raced mid-pack much of the way until swallowing up the leaders in the stretch and drawing off to a strong three-length victory in a time of 1:21.76. 

Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop, is the dam (mother) of Kopion as well as Canadian champion Amis Gizmo, graded stakes winner Ami’s Flatter, and stakes winner Aragorn Ami.