Awesome Gem to parade at Hollywood

Awesome Gem, who earned the biggest win of his illustrious career in the

Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in 2010, will be paraded between races on November 24

at Hollywood Park.

Retired September 21 at age nine, Awesome Gem, who called Hollywood Park home

for more than six years, will appear between the 4TH and 5TH races on the second

day of the Turf Festival.

In celebration of a career that saw the son of Awesome Again and the

Pentelicus mare Piano win 11 of 52 races and earn $2,881,370, there will be

drawings for Awesome Gem memorabilia, including a halter, saddle cloth and West

Point silks autographed by jockey David Flores, who rode the Kentucky-bred in

half of his starts, including the 8-1 upset of Rail Trip in the Gold Cup.

Additionally, Flores and trainer Craig Dollase will autograph Awesome Gem

posters between 11 a.m. and noon (PST) near the paddock.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Awesome Gem, who competed at 13 different

tracks during a career that began in the summer of 2006, retired as the leading

money earner among active horses in North America.

One of four seven-year-olds to win the Gold Cup, Awesome Gem was also a

graded stakes winner during his final two years of competition. He captured the

Lone Star Park Handicap and Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs -- both Grade 3

events -- in 2011.

Earlier this year, the chestnut won -- via disqualification -- the Grade 3

Berkeley at Golden Gate Fields.

A four-time Breeders' Cup participant, Awesome Gem earned his best finish in

the 2007 Classic, finishing third behind Curlin and Hard Spun over a sloppy

surface at Monmouth Park.

"Awesome Gem was as honest and hard-working as they come," said Terry Finley,

president and founder of West Point Thoroughbreds. "He took his partners on a

magical ride to the top, winning a Grade 1 stakes and competing in four

consecutive Breeders' Cup events from coast to coast and even an international

trip to Hong Kong.

"We were truly blessed to have him run for so long in our black and gold

silks. Craig Dollase and his team did a phenomenal job conditioning this horse,

knowing exactly when to run and when to give him a break, which enabled him to

stay sound and compete for so many years.

"I am grateful to everyone at Hollywood Park for providing this regal tribute

to our warrior who has touched so many hearts and earned a reputation as a

working man's horse. I hope all of his fans and owners come out to see his last

parade on Awesome Gem Day."

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