Awesome Gem after a successful start to season could either start in the San Francisco Mile or the Mervyn Leroy at Hollywood Park
West Point Thoroughbreds owned 9-year-old gelding, Awesome Gem, kicked off his 2012 season on a winning note when he participated in an Allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on 12 April, 2012, third race in the card, and shot straight to the winning circle
in his first race of the season.
Craig Dollase trained Awesome Gem wanted to get his multi-millionaire off the a winning start and that is exactly what he got, as Awesome Gem in the one mile allowance race was going to try to turf after a very long time, but he managed to evade that as
the race switched from turf to Tapeta.
The Kentucky bred son of Awesome Again came out of the race just fine, “He doesn’t know he’s 9,” said Dollase. “It was a nice comeback.”
Now, Dollase has to choose a second race for his 9-year-old gelding, and since the horse started off the year with a run at Golden Gate Fields, Craig Dollase might be in favour of keeping Awesome Gem at the venue to run him in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile
on 28 April, 2012, over the Golden Gate Fields turf course.
However, after Awesome Gem’s ace performance in his seasonal debut, Craig Dollase might be leaning toward Hollywood Park for the Grade 2 Mervyn Leroy to be run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles over the venue’s synthetic surface on 5 May, 2012, a race that
will reel in 3-year-old and above colts and geldings.
“We will be selective in our spots this year,” said Dollase. “We’ll keep our options open. “The San Francisco Mile will get a look, but we’ll also consider the [Mervyn LeRoy]. We’ll look at the nomination lists for both races.”
The winner of the California Derby over the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta surface, and also the winner of the John Battaglia Memorial over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface last year, Positive Response, who is now 4, finished second to Awesome Gem in the allowance
race for the second time running this year.
“I’m happy with the way he ran,” said Morey. “He had a bit of pressure on the pace, and the one that pressed him faded.”
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