Throckmorton on the road again, takes scratch-reduced Awad Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jose D’Angelo has shipped Throckmorton several times between Florida and New York searching for the right races for his 2-year-old colt.

It may be a bit unorthodox, but the plan has worked.

Throckmorton, after winning a five-furlong maiden race over Gulfstream’s synthetic surface in September, returned to New York - where he had spent the bulk of the summer - to win Sunday’s scratch-reduced $139,400 Awad Stakes on turf by 1 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct.

Throckmorton, after breaking a step slow from the rail, was guided to the lead by Samuel Marin. He got there through comfortable fractions - he ran a half-mile in 45.93 seconds - and was never seriously threatened in the lane.

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Throckmorton, a son of Caracaro owned by Al Gold’s Gold Square Racing, covered the six furlongs over firm turf in 1:09.91 and returned $4.24 as the favorite.

“Because he had the one hole, the starter was right next to him, so when he broke out of there he was a little bit lost,” Marin said. “So I kind of asked him a little bit, he went forward and when he took the lead I tried to slow the pace down and they did let me. So, I was happy with the way he was traveling out there.”

Glorious Boy, under Javier Castellano, rallied from last to get second by a neck over Zuby, who was a neck better than Squad Goals, who stumbled at the break.

The Awad scratched to four horses as Uncle Aldo was sore, according to D’Angelo, who also trains Uncle Aldo. Should’ve scratched after running eighth in Friday’s Stewart Manor Stakes. Gypsy Art scratched to run in a maiden race here on Friday.

Throckmorton trained this spring in Florida, but D’Angelo thought enough of him to make him part of his Saratoga division. After a third in a scheduled dirt race, D’Angelo wanted to run him on turf, but the race he was in was rained off to the dirt, and Throckmorton again finished a well-beaten third.

D’Angelo, thinking shorter was better for Throckmorton, shipped him back to Florida, where he won a five-race on synthetic. D’Angelo, seeking a stakes victory for Throckmorton, shipped him back here for the Awad.

“It all worked out,” D’Angelo said.

With the turf season close to ending in New York, D’Angelo plans to bring Throckmorton back to South Florida for the winter.

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