Awesome Czech in top form for Listed Athenia

Barry Schwartz’s New York homebred Awesome Czech is in top form for Sunday’s Listed $150,000 Athenia, a nine-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A. 

The fall meet, which launches on Thursday, September 11 with an eight-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m. Eastern, continues through Sunday, November 2, including four Grade 1s and five Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers. The 32-day meet will offer a total of 45 stakes worth $9.45 million in total purses.  

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 4-year-old Mendelssohn bay notched her second career stakes victory last out in the 1 1/16-mile state-bred Yaddo presented by STIHL on August 22 at Saratoga Race Course. There, Awesome Czech rallied from mid-pack to a half-length score over returning rivals Moonage Daydream and Spinning Colors, registering a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure. 

Awesome Czech earned her second consecutive win under returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr., adding to a pacesetting allowance triumph versus open company going one mile on July 4 at the Spa. She was equipped with blinkers for the head victory over next-out winner Vino Rouge. 

De Paz said the Athenia is a perfect steppingstone to the local $200,000 Ticonderoga on October 25, part of the annual Empire Showcase Day card, which includes nine New York-bred stakes valued at $1.9 million in total purses. 

“She’s doing very well,” said De Paz. “She came out of her last race in good order and she seems ready to go. She had plenty of time from her allowance win to the last stakes, so this three weeks’ rest seems fine. She is doing good, eating well, her energy is good, and this race sets up well for the New York-bred stakes at the end of October.” 

The consistent filly also captured the state-bred Suzie O’Cain last year at Saratoga among her 16-5-3-2 overall record, and she now looks to conquer an open stakes. Her four previous tries include a neck second in the 2023 Tepin here and most recently a fourth in the Listed Virginia Oaks last September at Colonial Downs. 

“It is always nice to have a horse that can be versatile in run style,” De Paz said. “If you are one dimensional, you are either waiting on the pace to set up or hoping to be lone speed. She can do either, depending on how the race plays out.” 

De Paz expressed confidence in Santana, Jr., recently fourth in the Saratoga summer meet jockey standings with 38 wins. 

“Both of Awesome Czech’s last races credit Ricardo’s ability to read races and know how to ride,” said De Paz. “He said before the allowance race that he was going to go to the lead. I didn’t think she was that kind of filly, but I had faith in him to make the decision, and it worked out. The next race he wanted to instigate to take the lead, but let the other guys have it if they wanted, and that is how it played out, a ground-saving pocket trip.” 

Awesome Czech [post 8, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] is out of the winning Awesome Again mare Marvelous Martina, and perhaps it is a good omen that the nearby U.S. Open was won multiple times by Martina Navratilova, the Czech-American tennis great. 

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out Whiskey Decision [post 4, Flavien Prat] in pursuit of a record-extending 10th Athenia victory and his sixth consecutive. 

The Athenia has been won by Brown with Pianist [2013], Roca Rojo [2016], Off Limits [2017], Rymska [2018], Tapit Today [2020], Pocket Square [2021], Love And Thunder [2022], Technical Analysis [2023] and Child of the Moon [2024].

Fred W. Hertrich, lll and John D. Fielding’s Kentucky homebred Whiskey Decision made the grade in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Eatontown on June 14 at Monmouth Park ahead of a last-out fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Ballston Spa on August 8 at the Spa. The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay made her other seven starts last year for trainer Arnaud Delacour, highlighted by a win in the nine-furlong Christiana in July at Delaware Park.

John T. Behrendt’s dual Argentinian Group 1-winner Edict [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] made her stateside debut in this event last year and finished a prominent fifth. Trained by David Donk, the 5-year-old Il Campione bay tried the Forever Together in November next here to wrap up her past campaign with a sixth. 

Edict returned in May with blinkers on in the local 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Beaugay and finished a half-length second to next-out Brown-conditioned Grade 1-winner Dynamic Pricing.

“She’s doing well,” said Donk. “She’s matured a lot and I’m hopeful we can get her back on track here. This is a shift back from Saratoga to Aqueduct where she has run well in the past.” 

Edict hasn’t quite matched her Beaugay performance in three subsequent races, but did set the pace versus strong company at Saratoga in the Grade 1 New York presented by Rivers Casino, a division of the restricted Listed De La Rose and Grade 2 Ballston Spa last out on August 8. 

“Saratoga was a bit tough with her. She is a bit high-strung and didn’t handle the paddock and post parade as well as we would’ve liked with all the activity there,” Donk said. “We certainly don’t have that at Aqueduct and she handled it well in the spring.” 

Chris Larsen’s New York-bred Moonage Daydream [post 5, Joel Rosario] returned from an over nine-month layoff for her close second to Awesome Czech in the Yaddo. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 5-year-old Candy Ride bay ended her last campaign with a streak of three consecutive state-bred stakes scores, beginning with last year’s Yaddo ahead of the nine-furlong John Hettinger in September and the Ticonderoga in October here. 

Bred in the Empire State by 3C Stable, the formidable mare also won the local Stewart Manor facing open company as a juvenile. She holds a consistent 13-6-2-1 record with $519,660 in earnings and went off favored last out in the Yaddo. 

Bourbon Lane Stable, HGS Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Hennig’s New York-bred Spinning Colors [post 3, John Velazquez] has been game on the lead in her last three races. The 5-year-old Hard Spun bay wired the state-bred Mount Vernon in June at Saratoga, ahead of a second and third there in a division of the De La Rose and the Yaddo, respectively. 

Those on-the-board efforts proved to be key races, as De La Rose-victor Ozara returned to win the Grade 2 Ballston Spa and the Yaddo went to Awesome Czech. 

Spinning Colors’ other win this year was a neck score over next-out winner Big Beautiful in an open-company optional claiming tilt in February at Gulfstream Park. Bred by William Parsons, Jr. and David Howe, Spinning Colors holds a 16-5-3-2 record with $407,210 in total purse earnings.

Rounding out the field are dual stakes-placed Dreaming of Abba [post 7, Sonny Leon] for trainer Kathleen O’Connell; stakes-placed Flowers for Me [post 6, Dylan Davis] for trainer James Ryerson; and four-time winner Lady Firefoot [post 2, Chris Elliott] for conditioner Melanie Giddings.

Amanda’s Folly, Midtown Lights and Just Music are entered for the main track-only. 

The Athenia is slated as Race 4 on Sunday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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