Awesome Act passes dirt test in Gotham

"He just did everything perfect," Leparoux said. "He broke well and appeared

to get a good position around the first turn, relaxed on the backside, and he

was good. He was beyond good on the dirt; it didn't matter to him at all. He

just did everything on his own, he put me in the right spots, and then he just

finished very nice. I think more distance will be good."

Yawanna Twist (Yonaguska) was best of the rest in his two-turn debut.

Rallying smartly late, the runner-up returned $5.90 and $4.70 as the 7-2 second

choice. Nacho Friend reported home another 1 3/4 lengths adrift in third, and

the 8-1 shot furnished $6.80 to show. The exotics were worth $39.60 (exacta),

$220 (trifecta) and $2,040 (4-2-3-8 superfecta) with Turf Melody (Maria's Mon)

in fourth. Shrimp Dancer (Kitten's Joy), Peppi Knows (Stephen Got Even), I've

Got the Fever (Stephen Got Even), Wow Wow Wow, Three Day Rush and Afleet Again (Afleet

Alex) completed the order of finish.

Noseda elaborated on his hopes and plans for Awesome Act.

"He handled the dirt today," the trainer said. "You would think a horse by

Awesome Again would handle the dirt. For the first time, it's all we could ask

for. He's a horse that is reminding me all the time of Wilko (whom Noseda sent

out to capture the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile [G1]).

"I believed in this horse today. It was a good, solid race, but there were no

graded stakes winners. It's the first hurdle out of the way, so the dream lives

on. We'll be back for the Wood Memorial ([G1] on April 3). He'll stay at Belmont

Park, in Steve Asmussen's barn with my team, and get ready for the Wood.

"We had the discussion about him possibly being a Derby horse after the

Breeders' Cup. I stood up and said 'I believe I can do it from Europe.' Now he's

been in America, and we can move forward. I will be going back to Newmarket,

maybe I'll come in for a day and watch him train."

Awesome Act's first stakes victory improved his record to 7-2-2-1 while more

than tripling his earnings to $221,691. Long well regarded, he was nominated to

an array of prestigious races in England even before his career debut. He had

the misfortune to hook a couple of Godolphin Group horses-in-the-making in his

first two starts at Newmarket, finishing second to future Racing Post Trophy

(Eng-G1) third Al Zir (Medaglia d'Oro) and then just losing on the line to

subsequent Group 3-placed Ameer (Monsun). When at last breaking his maiden in

style at Goodwood fourth time out, Awesome Act beat next-out Autumn S. (Eng-G3)

winner Morana (Alhaarth). Things went wrong for Awesome Act in the Dewhurst S.

(Eng-G1), where he was compromised by a troubled start and unable to make an

impression in ninth, but he turned in a much more promising effort in the

Juvenile Turf.

Bred by Flaxman Holdings in Kentucky, Awesome Act was sold for $240,000 as a

Keeneland September yearling. He is out of Houdini's Honey (Mr. Prospector), who

is a full sister to French champion juvenile and outstanding sire Machiavellian

as well as French highweight juvenile filly Coup de Genie, herself the dam of

French highweight juvenile filly Denebola (Storm Cat). Houdini's Honey is also a

half-sister to French Group 1-winning miler Exit to Nowhere (Irish River [Fr]),

and she hails from the immediate family of European champion and Prix de l'Arc

de Triomphe (Fr-G1) hero Bago (Fr) (Nashwan). Awesome Act's fourth dam was

Natalma (Native Dancer), who produced legendary sire Northern Dancer (Nearctic).

Awesome Act has an unnamed juvenile half-brother by Johannesburg.