Awesome Treat (#4 outside) rallies off the pace to pass the field for a huge victory. (screen shot)
51-1 Longshot Delivers Awesome Payoff in Winning Thursday’s Featured Stonetower Purse
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Keeneland Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— Kumud and Rakesh Sikand’s Awesome Treat, the longest shot in a field of nine at 51-1, overtook longtime leader and favorite Shootoutthelights in deep stretch to win Thursday’s featured $130,000 Stonetower Purse for fillies and mares by 1¼ lengths.
Trained by Justin Wojczynski and ridden by Gerardo Corrales, Awesome Treat completed the 5½ furlongs over a firm turf course in 1:01.96. The victory is the first at Keeneland for Wojczynski.
Awesome Treat is a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of American Patriot out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz a Treat. Raced mainly on all-weather surfaces, Awesome Treat was making just her second start on grass. Her previous race on the turf resulted in a fifth-place finish last September at Woodbine.
The victory improved Awesome Treat’s record to 21-4-4-1 and increased her earnings to $292,443 with Thursday’s $76,570 check. She has won two of three races this year.
Awesome Treat returned $105.78, $29.74 and $11.18. Shootoutthelights, ridden by John Velazquez, returned $4.56 and $3.26 and finished a neck ahead of L J’s Emma, who paid $3.58 to show under Luis Saez.
Keeneland’s nine-race card on Thursday also included three victories by jockey Joel Rosario.
Racing continues Friday with a 10-race program that begins at 1 p.m. ET and features the $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The Baird Doubledogdare is the afternoon’s ninth race with a 5:16 p.m. post time.
Keeneland will offer a Pick 6 carryover of $33,775.
