Awesome Again

Awesome Again made his first start on May 25, 1997 in a maiden special weight at Hollywood Park over seven furlongs. He duelled for the early lead with Reel Wild and hung on to finish third behind the late closing One Man Army.[8] He made his next start on June 5 in another maiden race at Hollywood Park, this time over 1+1⁄16 miles. He again duelled for the early lead, then started to draw away in the stretch to win by six lengths.[9]

Awesome Again was then shipped north to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario for Canada's most prestigious race, the Queen's Plate. Despite only having one win, he was still highly regarded by the bettors, going off at odds of 3–1. The favorite was Cryptocloser, who had won the Plate Trial.[10] Ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, he broke slowly but made a strong wide move on the final turn. He took the lead entering the stretch but ducked inside, apparently distracted by the crowd noise. He regained his stride and held off a late drive by Cryptocloser to win by 3+1⁄2 lengths.[11][12]

Smith noted that the colt won easily despite racing greenly. "About every 10 times he hit the ground, I had to remind him to stay back on the bridle because he was kind of watching everything. I was kinda all tuckered out. But he wasn't," he said.[4]

Awesome Again returned on August 3 in the Jim Dandy Stakes over a sloppy track at Saratoga Race Course. He went off as the second choice to Behrens, who was undefeated in three starts. Awesome Again settled near the back of the field and was still in seventh after three-quarters of a mile. Swinging wide into the stretch, he started to close strongly and drew off to win by three lengths. "I'm a little surprised with his effort because he ran against some really good horses," said Michelle Jensen, Hofmans' assistant trainer. "On the backside, he was laying a little out of it, so I didn't know what to expect from there. But down the stretch, he kicked in and he got it done."[13][14]

On August 23, Awesome Again went off as the favorite in the Travers Stakes. He rated behind the early leaders and made his move with Deputy Commander on the final turn. But he tired in the final furlong to finish third, beaten by seven lengths behind Deputy Commander, who was a nose ahead of Behrens. "I really didn't have a good trip," said Smith. "We were stuck the whole way around, and it was too much to overcome. The winner forced us out, and we got caught wide."[15][16]

Awesome Again finished fifth in his final start of the year, the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. It was the only time in his career that he finished out of the money.[1]

Awesome Again made his four-year-old debut on May 22, 1998 in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. Going off as the heavy favorite, he duelled for the early lead with Democrat, then pulled away in the stretch to win by seven lengths.[17]

On June 13, he faced off with champion Silver Charm in the Stephen Foster Handicap. Silver Charm, winner of the 1997 Kentucky Derby and 1998 Dubai World Cup, was the odds-on favorite despite carrying top weight of 127 pounds. Now ridden by Pat Day, Awesome Again was the third betting choice at 6–1 while carrying only 113 pounds. He rated close to Silver Charm behind the early pace set by Robb. Silver Charm made his move first, hitting the lead when turning for home. Awesome Again closed ground steadily down the stretch, as both horses started to drift. They bumped with half a furlong remaining in the race. Awesome Again drew clear in the final strides to win by a length, with Silver Charm more than five lengths ahead of the third-place finisher. He completed the distance of 1+1⁄8 miles in 1:483⁄5, just one-fifth off the track record.[18][19]

After a brief layoff, Awesome Again made his next start in the Whitney Handicap on August 8 at Saratoga. He went off as the 3–2 favorite while carrying 117 pounds, compared to second-favorite Tale of the Cat carrying 114 pounds. The two horses went to the lead while running the first quarter-mile in a leisurely 25.01 seconds. The pace then picked up down the backstretch as the two traded positions. Tale of the Cat opened a one length lead on the final turn but Awesome Again responded and took the lead back in mid-stretch, then continued to draw away to win by three lengths. "They were walking out there," said Day, referring to the slow early pace. "At the three-eighths pole, my horse was so relaxed I didn't know if we were out of the race or if he was just loafing. When I realized he had a lot left in him, I knew we were in the driver's seat."[20][21]

On August 30, Awesome Again was entered in the Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap, where he went off as the 1–4 favorite despite carrying top weight of 120 pounds. He stalked the early pace set by Early Warning, while Day kept an eye on Concerto, the second betting choice carrying just 114 pounds. Concerto made his move first, taking the lead on the final turn. Day swung Awesome Again wide and they started to close rapidly in the stretch, pulling clear late to win by three lengths.[22]

Awesome Again made his next start in the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap as the 1–10 favorite while carrying top weight of 123 pounds. He pressed the early pace set by Muchacho Fino, then moved to the lead around the final turn. The two raced heads apart until mid-stretch, when Muchacho Fino started to drop back. Unruled moved into second but was no match for Awesome Again, who won by 1+3⁄4 lengths. "He ran the way a 1–10 shot should," said Byrne. "We won easily, and he carried the weight. He even had a little left in his tank."[23][24]

The field for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, held on November 7 at Churchill Downs, is considered perhaps the deepest in the race's history. The favorite was Skip Away, who had already won seven races that year, five of them Grade I (the Donn Handicap, Gulfstream Park Handicap, Pimlico Special, Hollywood Gold Cup and Woodward Stakes). Despite having been beaten by Awesome Again in the Stephen Foster, Silver Charm was the second choice – a major factor being that the two horses would carry equal weights in the Classic compared to the 14 pound difference in the earlier race. The field also included Grade/Group One winners Swain (King George, Irish Champion), Victory Gallop (Belmont Stakes), Coronado's Quest (Haskell Invitational, Travers Stakes), Touch Gold (1997 Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational), Gentlemen (1997 Hollywood Gold Cup, Pacific Classic) and Arch (Super Derby). Between them, the horses had won 69 stakes races, including 31 at the Grade/Group One level. The quality of the field was matched in recent history by only the 1973 Marlboro Cup, where Secretariat defeated stablemate Riva Ridge.[25]

Awesome Again broke slowly and settled into eighth place behind a moderate early pace set by Coronado's Quest. He swung wide on the final turn and started to make up ground but was still in seventh place with a quarter-mile remaining, caught up in traffic. Swain moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, but then lost ground when he swerved to the outside and ultimately finished third. Silver Charm took the lead in mid stretch before he too drifted wide. This opened up a hole through which Awesome Again made his move. He finished strongly to win by three-quarters of a length over Silver Charm. Skip Away was never a factor and finished sixth.[25][26]

Despite his winning streak, Awesome Again had been largely overlooked because he was considered to have faced weaker competition in his previous starts. "Maybe he did dodge some big guns early," said Day. "But [the Classic] is the granddaddy of them all. This was the greatest field of horses I ever saw."[27]

After an undefeated season and the head-to-head victory over Skip Away and Silver Charm, Byrne felt that Awesome Again deserved consideration for Horse of the Year honours.[28] However, that honour ultimately went to Skip Away, who was considered to have faced consistently stronger competition over the course of the year.[29] Despite having scored one of the biggest wins ever for a Canadian-bred horse, Awesome Again was not eligible for Canadian Horse of the Year honours either since that award requires three starts in Canada during the year.[30] He was however given a special Sovereign Award for his achievements.[31]

Awesome Again retired as the leading Canadian-bred money earner of all-time.[4]

His notable progeny include:[3][40]

c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding