Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

in Canada and the

Jim Dandy Stakes The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

in the United States. He was undefeated at age four, scoring his biggest win in the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...

after winning the

Stephen Foster Handicap The Stephen Foster Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is named in ...

Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap The Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap was a Grade II Thoroughbred race for horses three-years-old and up run on dirt at Saratoga Race Course in New York from 1994 through 2005. From 1994 through 1996, it was run as the Saratoga Cup Handicap, the nam ...

Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap The Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap is a Grade III race for thoroughbred horses run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois each year. The Hawthorne Gold Cup trophy has always been made of solid gold. The Hawthorne Gold Cup is currently a G ...

and

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

. He was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

in 2001. At stud, he was an important sire whose offspring include

Ghostzapper Ghostzapper (foaled April 6, 2000) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2004, outdistancing Roses in May by three lengths in a track record time of 1:59.02. His gate-to-wire Classic victory completed a 4-for-4 season, ...

, an American Horse of the Year.

Background

Awesome Again was a bay horse, bred by Frank Stronach of

Newmarket, Ontario Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from th ...

and foaled in Canada. Awesome Again was sired by Deputy Minister, who was the Canadian Horse of the Year as a two-year-old in 1981 and became the leading sire in North America of 1997 and 1998. His dam Primal Force was later named the 2000

Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...

. Through Primal Force, Awesome Again was a half-brother to 2000

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing F ...

Macho Uno {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Macho Uno , image = , caption = , sire = Holy Bull , grandsire = Great Above , dam = Primal Force , damsire = Blushing Groom , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = United States , colour = Gray ...

. Stronach's son Andy purchased the mare in 1992 for $95,000 at the Keeneland January Sale based on her excellent pedigree and impressive speed on the track. Awesome Again raced for Stronach Stable as a homebred. He was originally trained by David Hofmans, then was switched to Patrick B. Byrne's stable in 1998. At maturity, he reached high.

Racing career

Awesome Again did not race at age two. At age three in 1997, Awesome Again won Canada's most prestigious race, the

. Otherwise, he raced in the United States, winning the

and finishing third in the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...

. His 1997 racing season ended after he suffered a back injury while finishing fifth in the Super Derby. In 1998, Awesome Again went undefeated in six starts, in the process defeating

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

Silver Charm Silver Charm (foaled February 22, 1994) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and 1998 Dubai World Cup (all of which he is the oldest surviving winner). He stood at stud in both Amer ...

and Skip Away. He came from far back to win over one of the best-ever fields assembled in the

1997: three-year-old campaign

Awesome Again made his first start on May 25, 1997 in a maiden special weight at Hollywood Park over seven furlongs. He duelled for the early lead with Reel Wild and hung on to finish third behind the late closing One Man Army. He made his next start on June 5 in another maiden race at Hollywood Park, this time over miles. He again duelled for the early lead, then started to draw away in the stretch to win by six lengths. Awesome Again was then shipped north to

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...

in Toronto, Ontario for Canada's most prestigious race, the

. Despite only having one win, he was still highly regarded by the bettors, going off at odds of 3–1. The favorite was Cryptocloser, who had won the Plate Trial. Ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, he broke slowly but made a strong wide move on the final turn. He took the lead entering the stretch but ducked inside, apparently distracted by the crowd noise. He regained his stride and held off a late drive by

Cryptocloser {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Cryptocloser , image = , caption = , sire = Cryptoclearance , grandsire = Fappiano , dam = Cuddle Up Closer , damsire = Vice Regent , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1994 , country = Canada , colour = B ...

to win by lengths. Smith noted that the colt won easily despite racing greenly. "About every 10 times he hit the ground, I had to remind him to stay back on the bridle because he was kind of watching everything. I was kinda all tuckered out. But he wasn't," he said. Awesome Again returned on August 3 in the

over a sloppy track at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. He went off as the second choice to Behrens, who was undefeated in three starts. Awesome Again settled near the back of the field and was still in seventh after three-quarters of a mile. Swinging wide into the stretch, he started to close strongly and drew off to win by three lengths. "I'm a little surprised with his effort because he ran against some really good horses," said Michelle Jensen, Hofmans' assistant trainer. "On the backside, he was laying a little out of it, so I didn't know what to expect from there. But down the stretch, he kicked in and he got it done." On August 23, Awesome Again went off as the favorite in the

. He rated behind the early leaders and made his move with Deputy Commander on the final turn. But he tired in the final furlong to finish third, beaten by seven lengths behind Deputy Commander, who was a nose ahead of Behrens. "I really didn't have a good trip," said Smith. "We were stuck the whole way around, and it was too much to overcome. The winner forced us out, and we got caught wide." Awesome Again finished fifth in his final start of the year, the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. It was the only time in his career that he finished out of the money.

1998: four-year-old campaign

Awesome Again made his four-year-old debut on May 22, 1998 in an

allowance race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargo ...

at Churchill Downs. Going off as the heavy favorite, he duelled for the early lead with Democrat, then pulled away in the stretch to win by seven lengths. On June 13, he faced off with champion

in the

. Silver Charm, winner of the 1997 Kentucky Derby and 1998

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wh ...

, was the odds-on favorite despite carrying top weight of 127 pounds. Now ridden by

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

, Awesome Again was the third betting choice at 6–1 while carrying only 113 pounds. He rated close to Silver Charm behind the early pace set by Robb. Silver Charm made his move first, hitting the lead when turning for home. Awesome Again closed ground steadily down the stretch, as both horses started to drift. They bumped with half a furlong remaining in the race. Awesome Again drew clear in the final strides to win by a length, with Silver Charm more than five lengths ahead of the third-place finisher. He completed the distance of miles in 1:48, just one-fifth off the track record. After a brief layoff, Awesome Again made his next start in the

on August 8 at Saratoga. He went off as the 3–2 favorite while carrying 117 pounds, compared to second-favorite Tale of the Cat carrying 114 pounds. The two horses went to the lead while running the first quarter-mile in a leisurely 25.01 seconds. The pace then picked up down the backstretch as the two traded positions. Tale of the Cat opened a one length lead on the final turn but Awesome Again responded and took the lead back in mid-stretch, then continued to draw away to win by three lengths. "They were walking out there," said Day, referring to the slow early pace. "At the three-eighths pole, my horse was so relaxed I didn't know if we were out of the race or if he was just loafing. When I realized he had a lot left in him, I knew we were in the driver's seat." On August 30, Awesome Again was entered in the

, where he went off as the 1–4 favorite despite carrying top weight of 120 pounds. He stalked the early pace set by Early Warning, while Day kept an eye on Concerto, the second betting choice carrying just 114 pounds. Concerto made his move first, taking the lead on the final turn. Day swung Awesome Again wide and they started to close rapidly in the stretch, pulling clear late to win by three lengths. Awesome Again made his next start in the

as the 1–10 favorite while carrying top weight of 123 pounds. He pressed the early pace set by Muchacho Fino, then moved to the lead around the final turn. The two raced heads apart until mid-stretch, when Muchacho Fino started to drop back. Unruled moved into second but was no match for Awesome Again, who won by lengths. "He ran the way a 1–10 shot should," said Byrne. "We won easily, and he carried the weight. He even had a little left in his tank."

Breeders' Cup Classic

The field for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, held on November 7 at Churchill Downs, is considered perhaps the deepest in the race's history. The favorite was Skip Away, who had already won seven races that year, five of them Grade I (the

Donn Handicap The Donn Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1959 through 2016 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A race for horses age four and older, it was contested on turf from inception through 1964 at a distan ...

, Gulfstream Park Handicap,

Pimlico Special The Pimlico Special is a Grade 3 American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles ( furlongs) held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. The race currently offers a purse of $300,000. ...

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000 ...

and

Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward. The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Rac ...

). Despite having been beaten by Awesome Again in the Stephen Foster, Silver Charm was the second choice – a major factor being that the two horses would carry equal weights in the Classic compared to the 14 pound difference in the earlier race. The field also included Grade/Group One winners Swain ( King George, Irish Champion), Victory Gallop ( Belmont Stakes), Coronado's Quest (

Haskell Invitational The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth ...

, Travers Stakes), Touch Gold (1997 Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational), Gentlemen (1997 Hollywood Gold Cup,

Pacific Classic The Pacific Classic Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one quarter miles on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The ev ...

) and Arch (Super Derby). Between them, the horses had won 69 stakes races, including 31 at the Grade/Group One level. The quality of the field was matched in recent history by only the 1973

Marlboro Cup The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of miles on a dirt track. The race ...

, where

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

defeated stablemate

Riva Ridge Riva Ridge (April 13, 1969 – April 21, 1985) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. Often remembered simply as a stablemate of Secretariat, Riva Ridge was a successful racehorse in his own rig ...

. Awesome Again broke slowly and settled into eighth place behind a moderate early pace set by Coronado's Quest. He swung wide on the final turn and started to make up ground but was still in seventh place with a quarter-mile remaining, caught up in traffic. Swain moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, but then lost ground when he swerved to the outside and ultimately finished third. Silver Charm took the lead in mid stretch before he too drifted wide. This opened up a hole through which Awesome Again made his move. He finished strongly to win by three-quarters of a length over Silver Charm. Skip Away was never a factor and finished sixth. Despite his winning streak, Awesome Again had been largely overlooked because he was considered to have faced weaker competition in his previous starts. "Maybe he did dodge some big guns early," said Day. "But

he Classic He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

is the granddaddy of them all. This was the greatest field of horses I ever saw." After an undefeated season and the head-to-head victory over Skip Away and Silver Charm, Byrne felt that Awesome Again deserved consideration for Horse of the Year honours. However, that honour ultimately went to Skip Away, who was considered to have faced consistently stronger competition over the course of the year. Despite having scored one of the biggest wins ever for a Canadian-bred horse, Awesome Again was not eligible for

Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...

honours either since that award requires three starts in Canada during the year. He was however given a special

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing. The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Y ...

for his achievements. Awesome Again retired as the leading Canadian-bred money earner of all-time.

Statistics

Stud career

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

at the

Midway, Kentucky Midway is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,641 at the time of the year 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town sits just off ...

branch of Stronach's

Adena Springs Farms Adena Springs is a Thoroughbred horse breeding operation owned by Frank Stronach and his family. The main farm is located in Paris, Kentucky, with satellite locations in Florida and Ontario, Canada. Adena Springs has won the Eclipse Award for Ou ...

, Awesome Again quickly became an important sire. His most famous son is

, voted the 2004 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in the United States and the "World's Top Ranked Horse" for 2004, as compiled by the

World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...

. Awesome Again became the first Breeders' Cup Classic winner to sire a winner of that race when Ghostzapper won the Classic in 2004. On the same day, another son named Wilko won the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

, making Awesome Again the first Breeders' Cup winner to sire two Breeders' Cup winners on one day. He was also the sire of Round Pond, winner of the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff. In 2007, Awesome Again became the first Breeders' Cup winner to sire four Breeders' Cup winners when Adena Springs homebred Ginger Punch won the Breeders' Cup Distaff at

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

. His son

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term " oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a rive ...

won the

2013 Preakness Stakes The 2013 Preakness Stakes was the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race was held on May 18, 2013, and was televised on NBC. The race was won by Oxbow. The post time of the race was EDT. The race was the 12th ra ...

, while son Sir Winston won the 2019 Belmont Stakes. Awesome Again also sired

Game On Dude Game On Dude (foaled April 26, 2007 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. He won fourteen graded stakes races, including eight Grade I stakes: the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011, 2013, and 2014 the only horse to have wo ...

, three-time winner of the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for o ...

, the Goodwood Stakes, and the

. His son Paynter was second in the

2012 Belmont Stakes The 2012 Belmont Stakes was the 144th running of the Belmont Stakes and the race was won by Union Rags ridden by jockey John Velazquez. It was broadcast in the United States by NBC. The post time was scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EDT (10:35 p.m. UT ...

and winner of the

. Awesome Again was retired from stud duties in 2019, at which time he had sired 66 black-type winners, including 14 Grade I winners. He was also an influential broodmare sire; at the time of his retirement, his daughters had produced eight champions, including Breeders' Cup Classic winner

Accelerate In mechanics, acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time. Accelerations are vector quantities (in that they have magnitude and direction). The orientation of an object's acceleration is given by t ...

. In 2020, he was donated to

Old Friends Equine Old Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The organization started with one leased paddock and two horses, but now owns 136 acres, Dreamchase ...

, and participated in that farm's regular tours. Awesome Again died on December 15, 2020 at the age of 26 at Old Friends.Awesome Again Passes Away
/ref>

Notable progeny

His notable progeny include: ''c =

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

, f = filly'', g = gelding''

Honours

Awesome Again was inducted into the

in 2001. The Goodwood Stakes at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

was renamed in his honour in 2012.

Pedigree

References

External links

Adena Stallions Awesome Again Page

Video at YouTube of Awesome Again's win in the 1998 Breeders Cup Classic
{{Breeders' Cup Classic Winners 1994 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada Racehorses trained in the United States King's Plate winners Breeders' Cup Classic winners Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 1-c Chefs-de-Race 2020 racehorse deaths