Awesome Flower on favorite surface in Windward Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Awesome Flower comes into the $100,000 Windward Stakes on Sunday at Presque Isle Downs off a bullet work, and trainer Mike Maker hopes she has returned to her winning form of 2013.
Awesome Flower worked a best-of-eight five furlongs at the Churchill Downs training center last Saturday. She won 5 of 11 races last season for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey. This season, she has yet to win in four attempts, but Maker expects things to turn around Sunday.
“She is doing great,” he said. “She just has run into some tough competition this year. She is going back to Presque Isle, where she ran big last year, and I think the one-mile distance of the Windward will absolutely suit her well.”
Awesome Flower won the $100,000 H.B.P.A. locally Sept. 26 by 3 1/2 lengths. The fact that Awesome Flower has won 3 of 4 on synthetics is not wasted on Maker.
“We are going to try to keep her on synthetics,” he said. “We are hoping she can duplicate her performance here last year. She has run well all four times on synthetics, and we are confident she will Sunday.”
There is plenty of speed in the Windward, and Maker thinks the race should set up well for his charge.
“It looks on paper that it will set up perfect for her,” he said. “Hopefully, the form will hold true.”
Ronnie Allen Jr. will ride.
The Irish-bred Absolute Crackers won the prep for the one-mile Windward going the same distance May 29 for trainer Graham Motion. The 5-year-old chestnut daughter of Giant’s Causeway came from off the pace when sent off as the 8-5 favorite in the prep.
A full field of 12, including a coupled entry, is scheduled to go to the post in the Windward.
Lavallee Twist will be one of the pacesetters and has held on to win 4 of 13 attempts over the Presque Isle Tapeta surface. She has been in front by as many as 10 lengths at the first call locally. That was in the H.B.P.A. prep last season. Trained by John Guciardo, Lavallee Twist has been out only once this season, going a mile on turf in an optional-claiming event March 21 at Tampa Bay Downs.