09/12/2011 5:24PM

Hawthorne Gold Cup next for Awesome Gem

By Brad Free
Email
Tom Keyser
Awesome Gem, winner of the Longacres Mile in his most recent start, will travel to Chicago next for the Hawthorne Gold Cup.

The venerable gelding Awesome Gem, winner of the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in his most recent start Aug. 21, will soon be on the road again. Trainer Craig Dollase said he will point the 8-year-old to the Grade 2, $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup on Oct. 8.

Awesome Gem has won 9 races and more than $2.6 million from 46 starts on 17 different surfaces.

“If it’s wet and muddy, so much the better,” Dollase said.

Awesome Gem splashed his way to victory in 2009 in the 1 1/4-mile Hawthorne Gold Cup, run over a muddy track. Awesome Gem, purchased for $150,000 at the Barretts 2005 March Sale of 2-year-olds in training, has been around so long that his career past performances includes a start at Del Mar on dirt.