Northern Afleet’s Amazombie won the $150,000 Potrero Grande in thrilling style, coming from fifth place just a furlong from the finish to get up by a head in the feature on the April 3rd Santa Anita card. [WATCH RACE]

Amazombie is one of five stakes winners this year for Northern Afleet, who is among the top 12 sires in North America through the first three months of 2011.

The Potrero Grande was the first start in a graded stakes in the career of 5-year-old Amazombie, who won the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint, also at Santa Anita, on Jan. 29. The well-matched field of 10 in the Potrero Grande had nearly all of California’s top sprinters. Amazombie was in mid-pack between horses for the run down the backstretch. The bay went four wide into the stretch, rallying under Mike Smith to mow down his foes and get the 6 1/2-furlongs in a very quick 1:14.26.

“He’s one of the coolest little horses I’ve been around,” Smith said. “He’s just so full of class, and he knows what he’s out there for.”

“This horse is the real deal,” said trainer Bill Spawr. “Nobody believes in him. He’s better on dirt. He’s a dirt horse. He came into this just perfect. If you don’t understand perfect, just look at his body. Anyway, we’re excited.”

Owned by Spawr and Tom Sanford, Amazombie is now 7-4-2 in 17 starts, earning $418,708. He was bred in California by Gregg Anderson.