Awesome Maria - 2011 Ogden Phipps H. (G1)
2,926 views · Published 18 June 2011 · 2:01 · Indexed 28 October 2026
Channel: The New York Racing Association · 2011 · Sports
Awesome Maria, who had finished second in her two prior Grade 1 starts, earned a breakthrough victory today at Belmont Park, delivering as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 1, $250,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap for fillies and mares. Looking to extend her winning streak to four and pick up her sixth career stakes triumph, Awesome Maria broke a beat slowly but quickly recovered to contest the pace from between horses. She dispatched Absinthe Minded when the early leader began to backpedal with three furlongs left and drew away once put to a drive by John Velazquez en route to a three-length victory over Payton d'Oro. "She didn't break as well as I would have liked to, but once I got her into gear she was going comfortable the whole way around, really, really nice," said Velazquez. "Even though we were going a quick pace, she was doing it easy. Coming to the quarter pole, I got after her and made her switch leads and down by the three-sixteenths pole, she got another gear." Off at 3-5, Awesome Maria paid $3.30 for a $2 win wager, completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.40, and earned $150,000 to lift her bankroll to $842,375. "She's been just very, very good," said Pletcher of the 4-year-old E. Paul Robsham Stables homebred. "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."
