Ampersand came through a narrow opening in the upper stretch to score a 1 3/4-length maiden special weight win in his Saturday debut at Saratoga.
The chestnut colt is Speightster’s fifth winner, second on the First-Crop sire list with fellow WinStar freshman sire Exaggerator.
Ampersand dropped to the rail soon after the break, tracking Foilage through until the top of the stretch, when the pacesetter drifted out slightly, allowing Ampersand to forge his way to the front and draw clear in the final sixteenth of a mile.
The winner covered the 5 1/2-furlongs on a muddy track in 1:04.39.
Ampersand is owned by WellSpring Stables and was bred by Sally Anderson.
