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Awesome Gem upends Rail Trip in Gold Cup
"Everybody went at the half-mile and I tried not to lose my position and wait for that pocket to come at the end," Flores said. "Mike Smith (on Compari) was about ready to shut off the hole, but he looked like he ran out of horse, so it was very nice of him to leave me that spot. "That was the most beautiful thing, when you have a horse that can accelerate like that at any time. He's just been unlucky before, but today he did the job." "Rough trip," trainer Ron Ellis said of the defending champion. "It just didn't work out today. He was wide. I don't know why. I don't what it was. You would have to ask him (jockey Rafael Bejarano)." Bejarano thought things changed for Rail Trip when he was pushed wide on the opening turn. "I was traveling well and was in good position (entering) the first turn," Bejarano explained. "(Cigar Man [Drewman]) just pushed me out. I was trying to follow the speed, but they were going so slow. I didn't want to rush him, so I waited for the half-mile. I don't think he ran his race because he was so wide on the first turn and the second turn." Off as the 8-1 fourth choice, the winner totaled $18, $4.40 and $2.40 for his supporters. Rail Trip gave back $2.20 and $2.10, and Richard's Kid (Lemon Drop Kid) returned $2.20. Tres Borrachos (Ecton Park), Compari and Cigar Man rounded out the order of finish. Tap It Light (General Meeting) was scratched. The $1 exotics paid $16.10 (exacta) and $32.80 (3-6-4 trifecta). A 13-time runner-up whose highlights include a third in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Awesome Gem registered his first victory of 2010 and improved his overall record to 36-7-13-4, $2,274,682. He entered the Gold Cup in typical fashion, finishing third in the New Orleans H. (G2) prior to a pair of seconds in the Charles Town Classic and Lone Star Park H. (G3), and has shown great versatility while placing in graded stakes coast-to-coast on dirt, turf and synthetic. His previous stakes victories came in the 2009 Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) and 2007 San Fernando (G2). "This horse can run over anything -- synthetic, grass, mud, you name it," said Dollase, who had been disqualified out of a Gold Cup victory in 2001 when Futural crossed the wire first, but was placed third by the stewards, making Aptitude the official winner. "He's very versatile and a real pleasure to train. This means a lot. A lot of work. My help and everybody have been real supportive. "The owners have been real patient and given this horse time when he has needed it. He's like fine wine. He's just getting better with age. He's in his prime right now." Bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm, Catesby Clay and Peter Callahan, Awesome Gem brought $150,000 as a Barretts March two-year-old in 2005. He was produced from the unraced Piano (Pentelicus), a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 queen J J'sdream (Glitterman). Piano has also produced a 2010 colt by Scat Daddy. Awesome Gem's third dam, Royal Ties (Distinctive), produced the Grade 2-winning On to Glory full siblings Meritocrat and On to Royalty, the latter the dam of 1996 Preakness (G1) winner Louis Quatorze (Sovereign Dancer) and 1997 Gazelle H. (G1) winner Royal Indy (A.P. Indy). This is also the family of Grade 1 winner Wildcat Heir and his multiple Grade 3-winning full sister Forest Heiress, both by Forest Wildcat.
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