Photo: NYRA, Adam Coglianese
Making her first start since capping her unbeaten,
championship 2-year-old season with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies last November, Awesome Feather posted a two-length victory in
the $60,000 Le Slew overnight stakes for 3-year-old fillies Wednesday at
Belmont Park.
Content to track Flying Train in second behind fractions of 22.60 and
45.30, Awesome Feather was pushed along by jockey Jeffrey Sanchez to engage the
leader nearing the quarter pole. After claiming the top spot, Awesome Feather
responded to Sanchez’s urging in late stretch to hold off a late bid from
Sentimental Lass.
Awesome Feather, who returned $2.50 as the 1-4 favorite, completed
seven furlongs in 1:22.76.
The Le Slew was Awesome Feather’s seventh start overall and first
for owner Stronach Stables, who transferred the filly to trainer Chad Brown
after purchasing her for $2.3 million at auction following the Breeders’
Cup. A bowed tendon discovered in January knocked out the daughter of Awesome
of Course for the preponderance of 2011.
“She’s a special horse, she’s got special
owners,” said Brown. “The Stronach family, they were presented a
difficult situation. I’ll tell you, they handled it with class and
optimism. They never complained one day about it. They just told me,
‘Look forward. Don’t look back. Keep the filly.’ She stayed
in my care the whole time. She never went to the farm. We did all the therapy
and waiting and healing ourselves, and [Mr. Frank Stronach] just said,
‘Let the filly tell you when she’s ready, and if she’s ready.
And if she never is ready then eventually we’ll take her home, but you
keep her.’ So, through the whole thing they were just patient and
optimistic and were never negative about the situation. I think their approach
got us here today.”
Brown said he trained Awesome Feather cautiously in the lead up to her
3-year-old debut and that he and the Stronachs will make a decision on the
filly’s next start at a later date.
“I was a little worried early because coming off this type of
layoff I didn’t want to crank the screws too much in the morning and
never get to this day,” said Brown. “So, I felt like I probably had
her 75 percent fit, but perfectly sound, and I took that as enough to get her
started. When I saw 22, 45 and she’s only a length off it, for a horse
off a layoff, that’s a demanding pace to chase and still have finish. I
was a little worried down the backside…but she dug in, she has the heart
of a champion. It might have not been a stellar group, but she got the job
done. I think she’ll be better off for it in the long run,
fitness-wise.”
Flying Train held third, followed home by Indian Lilly and Wild About
Tiffany.
Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese