{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Awesome Gem , image = , caption = Awesome Gem at Monmouth Park. , sire = Awesome Again , grandsire = Deputy Minister , dam =

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, damsire = Pentelicus , sex = Gelding , foaled = 2003 , country =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, colour =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

, breeder =

Runnymede Farm Runnymede Farm is an American horse breeding farm located outside Paris, Kentucky on U.S. Route 27, the Paris-Cynthiana Road. It is said to be the longest continuously running Thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky, established in 1867 by American ...

, Catesby Clay & Peter Callahan , owner = West Point Thoroughbreds , trainer =

Craig Dollase __NOTOC__ Craig may refer to: Geology *Craig (landform), a rocky hill or mountain often having large casims or sharp intentations. People (and fictional characters) *Craig (surname) *Craig (given name) Places Scotland *Craig, Angus, aka Barony of ...

, record = 50: 11-15-5 , earnings = $2,821,370 , race = San Fernando Stakes (2007)

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 Gr ...

(2009)

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. ...

(2010)

Lone Star Park Handicap The Lone Star Park Handicap was a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses three-years-old and older over a distance miles on the dirt held annually during the last week of May at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas that was last ...

(2011)

Longacres Mile Handicap The Longacres Mile Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race generally held in August at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington. The race is open to horses three years of age and older and is run on dirt over a distance of one mile (eight furlon ...

(2011)

Berkeley Handicap The Berkeley Handicap is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of one and one sixteenth miles with handicap conditions on the Tapeta Footings, Tapeta, a synthetic racing surf ...

(2012) , awards= , honours = , updated= Awesome Gem (foaled February 6, 2003) is an American

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 c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won the 2007 San Fernando Stakes, 2009 Hawthorne Gold Cup, and 2010

Background

This son of Awesome Again was sold by Crupi's New Castle Farm to West Point Thoroughbreds for $150,000 in California at the 2005 Barretts March 2-year-old sale. His partnership includes Paul Blavin, Scott Ross of Scottsdale, AZ, Scott Cadwallader and Patrice Arundel of Vista, CA, and Rob Keen of Encinitas, California.

Racing career

The chestnut gelding has recently risen to become a major stakes contender on the main track in the Southern California racing circuit. Awesome Gem tends to stand out as a smaller and slimmer horse then many of his competitors.

2006: Three-Year-Old Season

As a three-year-old, he finished second twice before winning a Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet on September 29, 2006. He went on to capture an allowance on October 26, 2006, and then ended the year with a second place on the turf in the Grade III 1-mile

Sir Beaufort Stakes The Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one mile on the turf held annually in late December Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event currently offers ...

on December 26, 2006, on the opening day of Santa Anita's 2006–07 winter meet.

2007: Four-Year-Old Season

Awesome Gem won his first stakes race at the start of the 2007 season, on January 13, in the 1-1/16-mile Grade II

San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes The San Fernando Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old horses, it is contested on at a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on Pro-Ride synthetic d ...

on the dirt after bounding down the stretch to snatch the lead from favorite

Midnight Lute Midnight Lute (foaled May 13, 2003, in Versailles, Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was named American Champion Sprint Horse in 2007. Background Midnight Lute was bred by Tom Evans, Macon Wilmil Equines & Marjac Farms, Inc. ...

just before the wire. The chestnut then placed 5th in the 1-1/8-mile Grade II

Strub Stakes The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel ...

on the dirt track at Santa Anita on February 3, 2007, and finished last in the eight-horse field for the 1-1/4-mile Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 3, 2007. After a brief rest, Awesome Gem was dropped in class and placed 2nd in an allowance race on Hollywood Park's new synthetic Cushion Track on May 26, 2007. He then returned to the winner's circle on June 23, 2007, in an Allowance Optional Claiming, also at Hollywood Park. On July 21, 2007, Awesome Gem returned to the stakes scene to place second behind

Sun Boat The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared r ...

in the 1-1/16-mile Grade II San Diego Handicap on Del Mar's new

Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: *Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common track ...

. On August 19, 2007, he finished second in the 1-1/4-mile

Pacific Classic Stakes 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 even ...

at Del Mar. In the race, Awesome Gem made a furious closing effort down the stretch from almost last to narrowly miss overtaking the leader,

Student Council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...

, at the wire. On September 29, Awesome Gem unsuccessfully dueled Tiago down the stretch in the 1-1/8-mile Grade I

Goodwood Handicap The Goodwood is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three years old and older, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 1200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse, Adelaide, South Australia in the SAJC Au ...

on Santa Anita's new Cushion Track during the 2007 Oak Tree meet, losing by a nose and again placing second. Awesome Gem ran as a long shot in the prestigious Grade I 1-1/4-mile

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 o ...

at Monmouth Park on October 27, 2007. On the sloppy track, he rallied and overtook 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense to earn third place. The $500,000 third-place prize effectively doubled the gelding's career earnings and made him West Point Thoroughbred's first horse to reach $1 million in earnings. Awesome Gem closes on Student Council in the 2007 Pacific Classic at Del Mar

Awesome Gem closes on Student Council in the 2007 Pacific Classic at Del Mar

The chestnut took off the rest of the 2007 season and was sent to an undisclosed farm for rest. While he was on break, trainer Craig Dollase announced that he plans to point Awesome Gem toward the 2008 Dubai World Cup scheduled for March 29.

2008: Five-Year-Old Season

Awesome Gem made his first start of the 2008 season in the Grade 2

San Antonio Handicap The San Antonio Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced on the dirt, it is for horses age three and older. In 2017, the distance was shortened from miles to miles. The race was origina ...

at Santa Anita, placing third and besting his Pacific Classic rival,

who came fifth. On March 1, 2008, Awesome Gem placed seventh in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, lacking his usual powerful drive down the stretch. On October 3, 2009, Awesome Gem won the Grade 2

at the age of 6. In July 2010, he won his first Grade I victory in the

against favorite

Rail Trip Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

Later career

In May 2011, he took the

in his first win that year as an eight-year-old. He got past Game On Dude for a one-length victory under Robby Albarado. On August 22, he also won the

, beating Washington's favorite,

Noosa Beach The Shire of Noosa is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it wa ...

. On May 28, 2012, he won the

when the first over the line, Positive Response, was disqualified. Awesome Gem was favored in this race, his 50th race at the age of 9.

Resources

AwesomeGem Pedigree & Partial Stats

Breeders Cup Bio Awesome Gem
2003 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 3-m