Awesome Maria spoils Unrivaled Belle’s return with Rampart win

Awesome Maria drew off to take the Rampart (Adam Coglianese Photography)

E. Paul Robsham Stables’ AWESOME MARIA (Maria’s Mon) tracked in third during
Saturday’s $150,000
Rampart
S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, swept by the longtime leader on the turn and
pulled away to score by eight lengths in the 1 1/8-mile test under jockey John
Velazquez. The Todd Pletcher trainee stopped the clock in 1:49 on the fast main
track to move her 2011
record to a perfect two-for-two.

Persuading (Broken Vow) quickly took command of the race, with reigning
Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) queen Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled’s Song) settled just
to her outside in her first start since that November 5 championship event.
Awesome Maria wasn’t far back in third, running just off Unrivaled Belle’s
flank, and those three led the way on the backstretch.

Successful Song (Successful Appeal) took up a spot in fourth a little farther
back, but scooted up the rail as the top three hit the turn. However, Awesome
Maria had already got the jump on that runner, sprinting past Persuading and
Unrivaled Belle to take over by the time the field straightened out for the
stretch run. The gray four-year-old miss drew off to be clear on the wire as the
4-5 favorite, returning $3.80, $3 and $2.10.

“She was really good today. Around the first turn she relaxed really
well for me and then was there for me when I needed her,” Velazquez
said. “There was no question in my mind about the extra distance going
into this race. The only question was: Would she relax? — which she
did.”

Awesome Maria is now perfect in two starts for 2011 (Joe Ganley/EquiSport Photos)

Awesome Maria opened her career under the tutelage of trainer Stanley Hough,
breaking her maiden by 8 1/4 lengths at Saratoga in 2009 before taking the
Matron S. (G2) by 2 3/4 lengths at Belmont Park. She closed out her juvenile
campaign with a head second in the Frizette S. (G1) and didn’t reappear for 11
months. The gray miss made her sophomore bow a half-length victory in last
September’s Riskaverse S. for new trainer Pletcher, but was unable to challenge
when a distant third in the Cotillion S. (G2) next out.

Awesome Maria showed much more when fourth, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths, in the
Topicount S. in late October, and finished out the year with a runner-up effort
in the Gazelle S. (G1). She returned much quicker as a four-year-old, posting a
4 3/4-length score in the Sabin S. (G3) at Gulfstream in mid-February, and now
boasts a 10-5-3-1, $602,375, career record.

“She just reached a new level in her training since we got her down
here this winter,” Pletcher said. “We’ll point her to the (June 18)
Ogden Phipps ([G1] at Belmont Park), but she might run in the (May 21)
Shuvee ([G2] at Belmont) before that.”

Bred by Mrs. E. Paul Robsham in Kentucky, Awesome Maria 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).