With Awesome Gem arriving at his new home at Old Friends April 7 I thought it would be an appropriate time to reprint a column I wrote in 2010 on this old warrior and the person whose life he changed.
West Point Thoroughbreds' multiple graded stakes winner Awesome Gem arrived at his new home April 7 at Old Friends Equine in Georgetown, Ky.
Florida Derby, Gulfstream Park Oaks, Pan Americans, Louisiana Derby, Honey Fox, Muniz Memorial Handicap, New Orleans Handicap, Fair Grounds Oaks, Appleton, Orchid, Tokyo City Cup, Top Flight Invitaitonal, Australian Derby, T J Smith and more.
DARRS Inc's Honorable Duty recorded his third consecutive stakes win in as many starts since being gelded last year, running down Breaking Lucky by a neck to capture the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots April 1.
This week we have cards loaded with stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and Gulfstream Park, Dortmund's return to dirt, and more.
Honorable Duty will try for a third straight stakes win at the Fair Grounds meet and the most prestigious victory of his career when he faces an expected nine rivals in the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (G2) April 1.
For the second day in a row, Louisiana breeder Evelyn Benoit struck for a high-priced mare to breed to her stallion Star Guitar, going to $550,000 for Five Star Momma during the fifth session of Keeneland's November breeding stock sale.
At the Nov. 11 Keeneland breeding stock sale, Grovendale’s James Keogh acquired the multiple stakes winner and graded-placed mare Moment of Majesty for $850,000 from the Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency consignment to be bred to Star Guitar.
Louisiana-bred standout Star Guitar, a winner of 22 stakes in the Pelican State, saw his first winner as a stallion Sept. 24 when Clifford Grum's homebred Senor Guitar rallied from fifth to score a clear win in a Churchill Downs maiden-claiming race.
Tom McCarthy, best known for training General Quarters, a former claimer who went on to win the 2009 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), died July 21 after a battle with melanoma. He was 82.
Based on what the sale company called preliminary results, Rodney Verret landed a 2-year-old D'wildcat colt named D'digger for $57,000 to top the the Equine Sales Co. 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale May 10 in Opelousas, La.
A trio of Louisiana-bred fillies worked an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5 May 8 to tie for the fastest time during the under tack show for the Equine Sales Company of Louisiana's 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale in Opelousas, La.
Gallant Stable's grade I winner Majestic Harbor will go for his second consecutive graded stakes victory of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet in the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) Mar. 26.
Mohaymen runs away with the Fountain of Youth and more inside the March 5, 2016 Blood-Horse magazine!
Canadian Oaks winner Roan Inish, an Elusive Quality mare in foal to Arch, was purchased by Evelyn Benoit for $500,000 during the second session of Keeneland's January horses of all ages sale.
Central Kentucky-based sire General Quarters picked up his first winner Thursday, Sept. 3 when Golden Legacy Stable's Beautiful Sin won a maiden claiming race by 3 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park.
Call Me George wore down Albano and favorite Moreno late in the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II), engineering a 22-1 upset that provided jockey James Graham a milestone win March 28 at Fair Grounds
Moreno is scheduled for his first start in the Pelican State Saturday, in the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Moreno, a homebred grade I winner for Southern Equine Stable, will head to Fair Grounds for the New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) March 28, trainer Eric Guillot said.
Dogwood Stable's Palace Malice may have been the narrow second choice in the New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) at Fair Grounds, but the son of Curlin proved best in an impressive 4 3/4-length score going 1 1/8 miles.
Classic winner Palace Malice will try to keep his fast start to the 2014 season going when he faces an accomplished field as the highweight in the New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) March 29 at Fair Grounds.
Dogwood Stable's 2013 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Palace Malice will shoot for his second win of the season in the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) March 29 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Brittlyn Stable's Sunbean proved worthy of the fans who backed him down to 3-10 favoritism by drawing off late to an easy 2 3/4-length victory March 1 in the $60,000 Star Guitar Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Owner Rick Porter has picked out a couple of stakes options for Normandy Invasion following the colt's record-breaking return to action in allowance company Feb. 22 at Gulfstream Park.
Last year's Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Palace Malice will launch his 2014 campaign in the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II) March 8 at Gulfstream Park, according to Dogwood Stable president Cot Campbell.
| Horse | Trainer | Breeder / Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Awesome Gem | UNKNOWN |
|
| Battle Plan | Todd A. Pletcher |
|
| Big Polk a Dot | Eric J. Guillot |
|
| General Quarters | Thomas R. McCarthy |
|
| Star Guitar | Albert M. Stall, Jr. |
|
| Stonehouse | Joseph E. Broussard |
|
| Stones River | Martin D. Wolfson |
|
| Tone It Down | Steven M. Asmussen |
|
| Race | Track | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Caress S. | SAR | |
| Clasico Constitucion S. (G1) | CMR | |
| Prince of Wales S. | FE | |
| Cougar II H. (G3) | DMR | |
| Jonathan Kiser Novice S. | SAR |
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