Gulfstream: Awesome Feather puts unbeaten streak on line in Sunshine Millions Distaff
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – If it is possible to improve upon perfection, then trainer Chad Brown has done so with the undefeated filly Awesome Feather.
Awesome Feather was already a Grade 1 winner and champion when she arrived in his barn in December 2010, but Brown was quickly faced with a new challenge in his quest to keep the filly’s perfect record intact. A significant tendon injury kept Awesome Feather away from the races for the majority of her 3-year-old campaign. Frank Stronach had purchased Awesome Feather out of the Fasig-Tipton auction in Kentucky two days after she won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, capping her championship 2-year-old season.
When Brown did get her back to the races last fall, Awesome Feather won an overnight sprint stakes at Belmont in October and the Grade 1 Gazelle at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct in November.
Saturday, Awesome Feather will try to make it 9 for 9 when she runs in the $300,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park.
Awesome Feather will face six challengers, including the improving Tiz the Argument, who has won three straight for Richard Dutrow Jr.; Sweet Repent, winner of last year’s Sunshine Millions Distaff; and Delightful Mary, third to Awesome Feather in the 2010 Juvenile Fillies.
Brown admits there is some pressure to keep Awesome Feather undefeated.
“It’s something you try your best to keep intact, you certainly don’t want to let anybody down, so you feel a little bit extra pressure,” Brown said Wednesday in his office at the Palm Meadows training center. “All we can really do is make sure she’s happy and healthy and training good and just run her when that’s the case; give her the best chance to continue that streak. Right now she’s happy and training well so we’ll lead her over there.”
Awesome Feather was a dominant 5 1/4-length winner of last year’s Gazelle on Nov. 26. This race immediately became the next objective for Awesome Feather, a daughter of Awesome of Course.
Brown said that the tendon is not a major issue anymore for Awesome Feather, who has had an uninterrupted training schedule since shipping to south Florida in early December.
“You have to be aware of it, you have to monitor it, but it’s not something that we’re doing continual therapy on or is something we’re nursing or anything like that,” Brown said. “It happened, it’s healed, it looks fine right now. It’s just something that you just keep an eye on to make sure nothing changes day to day on it and nothing has.”
Brown hopes that by sundown Saturday, Awesome Feather’s perfect record hasn’t changed either.
Sunshine Millions Distaff S., Post Time: 2:35 ET Saturday
Purse: $300,000; 1 1/8 miles
Post |
Horse |
Trainer |
Jockey |
ML Odds |
|
|
My Pal Chrisy |
P. Lutchman |
L. Panici |
|
|
|
Tiz The Argument |
R. Dutrow, Jr. |
R. Dominguez |
|
|
|
Delightful Mary |
M. Casse |
L. Contreras |
|
|
|
Awesome Feather |
C. Brown |
J. Sanchez |
|
|
|
Perfect Embrace |
B. Dibona |
P. Lopez |
|
|
|
Sweet Repent |
J. Braddy |
M. Cruz |
|
