Awesome Return starts over in Let It Ride

The new autumn meeting at Del Mar that begins Friday will provide a fresh start for the two-time stakes winner Awesome Return.

In July, Awesome Return finished third in an optional claimer on turf at Del Mar. Owner and breeder Richard Kritzski and trainer Mike Puype decided to give the colt a 30-day break from training.

By any measure, the first half of 2014 was successful for Awesome Return, with two stakes wins against California-breds – the Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita and the Silky Sullivan Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.

For his comeback, Awesome Return will start on turf in Saturday’s $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes for 3-year-olds over a mile. The race is restricted to horses who have not won a stakes worth $50,000 or more to the winner this year. Statebred stakes are excluded from that clause.

“I don’t think there are any world beaters in there,” Puype said.

The Let It Ride Stakes is one of three stakes on the opening weekend of the month-long meeting, which runs through Nov. 30. Del Mar added an autumn meeting following the closure of Hollywood Park for development last December.

Del Mar will run several stakes previously held at Hollywood Park, notably two $300,000 Grade 1 races – the Hollywood Derby on Nov. 29 and the Matriarch Stakes on Nov. 30. This week, racing will be held on a Friday-through-Sunday basis, followed by a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule for the remainder of the month.

Friday’s program is highlighted by the $75,000 Kathryn Crosby Stakes for fillies and mares over a mile on turf. Sunday’s main race is the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares over seven furlongs, a race previously known as the Cat’s Cradle Stakes when run at Hollywood Park.

Puype says he plans to be active this month, even though the bulk of his stable will remain in the Los Angeles area. Many trainers have said that they will not relocate their entire stable to Del Mar this month, which is customary for the summer meeting, but will ship the runners who are approaching starts.

Puype said a successful autumn meeting at Del Mar is vital to the circuit without Hollywood Park.

“I’ll run,” he said. “I like to run. We need Del Mar to be part of this thing.”