Slow Down Andy punches ticket for BC Classic with Awesome Again victory

ARCADIA, Calif. – A quick start on a speed-favoring surface benefited Slow Down Andy on Saturday at Santa Anita, where he wired the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes to earn a fees-paid berth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

The competition will be tougher, the pace scenario could be challenging, and a 1 1/4-mile distance of the BC Classic might be a reach for Slow Down Andy.

None of those concerns were a factor Saturday, and owner-breeder Paul Reddam looks forward to the upcoming challenge. “You got to take your shots,” he said after Slow Down Andy, trained by Doug O’Neill, won the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again by 2 1/4 lengths over Defunded.

Mario Gutierrez rode Slow Down Andy ($6 favorite), who shortened in distance following a third-place finish in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

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Gutierrez said he did not plan to make the lead with Slow Down Andy; the objective in the Awesome Again was to get into steady rhythm. “My goal was to let him run, wherever he was comfortable, and that was the lead today,” Gutierrez said.

Slow Down Andy outbroke the field, settled early, and never looked like a loser. “He relaxed,” Gutierrez said. “I tried not to fight him … my goal today was to let him run comfortable and it paid off.”

One reason Slow Down Andy made the lead was because expected pacesetter Defunded can sometimes break a half-step slow, which he did again in the Awesome Again. “He did break slow,” Defunded’s jockey, Edwin Maldonado, said. “Bob [Baffert] said if he does break slow, don’t panic.”

Maldonado tucked Defunded into a cozy position third on the rail while Slow Down Andy coasted with token pressure from longshot Celestial Moon. Slow Down Andy set fractions of 46.91 and 1:10.59 before Gutierrez cut him loose into the lane. The race was over. Slow Down Andy won in 1:47.62.

Defunded finished second, Senor Buscador finished third, and Preakness winner Naitonal Treasure finished fourth.

The Awesome Again was the first Grade 1 for Slow Down Andy, a California-bred by Nyquist who has won five races and $1,276,600 from 14 starts. The most recent win by Slow Down Andy was the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in September 2022.

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