Awesome Pic finds softer field in Florida-bred allowance
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Awesome Pic figures to be a short price when she runs in a first-level allowance race for Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies Friday at Gulfstream. The six-furlong dash drew six horses, goes as race 7, and headlines an eight-race card that begins at 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
Awesome Pic, trained by Robert Smith, returns to Gulfstream after a successful winter-spring campaign at Tampa Bay Downs, where she had a 1-1-1 record from four starts. She is coming into Friday’s race a sharp horse, with a six-length win in a $25,000 starter/optional-claiming race Feb. 10, followed by a third-place finish on March 26 in the $100,000 Sophomore Fillies, where she just missed finishing second by a neck to Dreaming of Snow in the seven-furlong dash restricted to Florida-breds. The winner, Munnys Gold, was more than 15 lengths clear at the wire and came back to lose by a head to Red Carpet Ready as the heavy favorite in the Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
A daughter of Awesome Slew, Awesome Pic is going to appreciate the substantially easier company she is facing Friday. She won her last two races at Gulfstream by a combined 13 3/4 lengths.
She will be running on Lasix for the first time.
Awesome Pic drew the outside post and with her tactical speed, she figures to get a nice trip from a forward position with Marcos Meneses up.
The Robert Dibona-trained Tap’er Light looks like the main threat.
The daughter of Mineshaft won her debut July 22 at Gulfstream, before finishing third in the $122,500 Debutante on Aug. 14 at Ellis Park in her only other start as a juvenile.
In her lone race this year, Tap’er Light forced an honest pace before losing by a head to Kikilove going seven furlongs at this level April 29. It was a solid effort, and the only concern is she could bounce coming back this quickly after running her eyeballs out off a lengthy layoff.
She is versatile, so leading rider Leonel Reyes will have options depending on how she breaks from post 3.
Hialeah Hottie makes her first start on the East Coast for trainer Joseph Orseno.
The daughter of Sharp Azteza is coming off a solid effort on March 26 at Santa Anita in a $50,000 starter/optional-claiming race, where she came from a stalking position to just miss by a neck to She’s Resilient. She’s Resilient remained undefeated in three starts when she won a $50,000 starter race April 29 at Golden Gate.
Chasing Silver has a right to move forward after winning her debut in a $50,000 optional maiden claimer for trainer Ronald Spatz.
The Juan Alvarado-trained Olga is the most experienced horse in the field with 11 starts and is coming off a victory April 16 in a $50,000 starter/optional-claiming race.
Girvin Girl won her debut for trainer Barry Croft before finishing sixth Feb. 22 in a key first-level allowance race for Florida-breds that produced three next-out winners, including Kikilove.
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