Awesome Maria scores fourth straight with Ogden Phipps win

Absinthe Minded began fading as the trio hit the turn, but Life at

Ten was more than willing to take up the slack and put in her bid for

command. Awesome Maria had other plans, though, shaking loose from last

year's defending champion and drawing off from her rivals to score her

first Grade 1 victory.

"I think she was

impressive again," Pletcher praised his charge. "She's been pretty impressive every start this year, her

hardest-fought one being the last one. She's been just very, very good. She

didn't break well but she was able to recover and find a spot there pretty

quickly. After that, she was in pretty good shape.

"On paper we

felt that Absinthe Minded and Awesome Maria would be laying one-two and Life at

Ten would assume the garden spot," he continued. "The way it broke, (jockey) Cornelio

(Velasquez) had to

grab (Life at Ten) a little bit to get that spot, and in retrospect it would

have been better to go on, but he tried to execute the original game plan. (With

Unrivaled Belle scratched) I felt like on paper it would set up the same way; it

obviously changes the complexion of the race when the Breeders' Cup winner

doesn't run."

Payton d'Oro put in a game late run to be second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of

Super Espresso on the wire. Life at Ten followed by another 1 3/4 lengths, with

Absinthe Minded brining up the rear.

"I thought she ran

well," trainer Larry Jones said of Payton d'Oro's runner-up placing. "It took three of Todd's to beat one of mine!"

Awesome Maria earned her fourth straight win in the Ogden Phipps, following

scores in the Sabin S. (G3), Rampart S. (G3) and Shuvee H. (G2) in her three

other races this season. The gray filly is no stranger to graded contests,

stepping up to conquer graded company in the Matron S. (G2) immediately after

breaking her maiden by 8 1/4 lengths at Saratoga in 2009. She closed out her

juvenile campaign with a head second in the Frizette S. (G1) but didn't reappear

for 13 months.

Awesome Maria started her racing career with Stanley Hough, but showed up in

Pletcher's barn to begin her three-year-old season. The Eclipse Award-winning

conditioner saddled his new charge to make her turf bow in the Riskaverse S. at

Saratoga and she vindicated that decision with a half-length victory in

September. However, a distant third in the Cotillion S. (G2) and a fourth in the

grassy Topicount S. followed in October. The talented miss finished out the year

with a runner-up effort in the Gazelle S. (G1), but returned much quicker as a

four-year-old to begin her current win streak in the Sabin at Gulfstream in

mid-February.

"We'll stick to 1 1/8 mile races," Pletcher said in regards to Awesome

Maria's next start. "We'll look at the (July 31) Ruffian ([G1] at Saratoga) and look closely at the weights."

With Saturday's victory, Awesome Maria has now racked up $842,375 in career

earnings to go along with her 12-7-3-1 mark.

Bred by Mrs. E. Paul Robsham in Kentucky, the Ogden Phipps winner is the

first registered foal out of the unraced Discreetly Awesome (Awesome Again), who

has since produced a juvenile colt named Yes I'm Awesome (El Corredor) and a

2011 filly by Street Cry (Ire).

Discreetly Awesome is herself a daughter of Grade 1 winner and 1994 Matron

(G1) runner-up Pretty Discreet (Private Account), making her a half-sister to

Grade 1-winning millionaire Discreet Cat (Forestry), multiple Grade 1-placed

stakes hero Pretty Wild (Wild Again) and last year's King's Bishop S. (G1)

victor Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft). This is also the family of 1987 Kentucky

Oaks (G1) queen Buryyourbelief (Believe It).