Resolute Racing had never run a horse in a claiming race prior to the sixth race at Churchill Downs Nov. 12. Yet, their first entry at the level may have meant even more to the team than a stakes runner would have, as it served as a crucial milestone for Awesome Hawaiian.
The fact that he was even in the starting gate may have been considered a miracle last year, not to mention that he won with authority.
The Louisiana-bred Awesome Bet gelding's story was one that did not have a good beginning. Sold for just $1,000 at a Louisiana yearling sale, he and two other yearlings were dropped at a feedlot for unwanted and ownerless horses. The presence of such young Thoroughbreds in that situation caused a stir on social media and a Facebook post soon arrived on the feed of Resolute's director of marketing, Sarah Stewart.
Stewart called her father, Resolute's founder John Stewart, to inquire about rescuing the horses. When she didn't get in touch with him, she and now CEO Chelsey Stone Stewart, John's wife, decided to just go ahead and pay for their rescue.
"I was like, 'Chelsey, I'm just going to go for it,'" Sarah Stewart said. "We can hide them on the farm, we can ask for forgiveness."
Forgiveness wasn't needed as John Stewart was in full support of adopting the three yearlings who would come to be nicknamed Ed, Edd, and Eddy.
The trio ended up spending two days in the feedlot before being transported to Resolute's farm near Midway, Ky. Sarah Stewart said they arrived in pretty good physical condition, but John Stewart noted they had a few mental issues. They were then turned over to Summer Harris, Resolute's trail and rescue coordinator.
"It's just so exciting to be part of a program that believes in all horses," Harris said. "To take three yearlings that somebody absolutely gave up on, we wanted to give them a fresh chance. We treated them like every other yearling that Resolute had acquired and bred, and look where we ended up. It's just really exciting to show people that even though horses end up in dire straits, that they still have a lot to prove."
Two of the yearlings weren't going to make the racetrack and are being given time to mature before they embark on a sport horse career or join the Resolute trail team. However, Awesome Hawaiian showed the ability of a racehorse in his early training at WinStar Farm, and after passing his vet checks, the Stewarts decided to put him into training with Will Walden.
"We were willing to take the gamble and the risk and talked to Will and made sure he was up to the task," John Stewart said. "We saw this moment in mind just to bring this issue front and center to the industry."
Walden, who himself has taken advantage of a second chance after overcoming addiction to begin his training career, said the gelding made his job easy. He compared the gelding to a boxer dog, always having his ears boxed forward, waiting for the next task.
"That horse showed up, laced up his boots, and went to work every single day," Walden said. "With every breeze, you could see him start to put on muscle and condition. I thought he looked incredible when he walked in the paddock today, really well muscled and defined."
As a Louisiana-bred with not the most well-known names in his immediate pedigree, Walden was realistic about the horse's ability. Feeling like a $20,000 tag was too little and a $50,000 tag was too much, he settled on the $30,000 tag, knowing it was a spot he could be competitive, and it might be their only chance to win with him.
"I didn't know if, with Fair Grounds coming up, he was going to get claimed first time out," Walden said. "We wanted to make our first shot count, because we thought we might only have one chance with him. Felt like this was the right spot, and he proved us right."
Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Awesome Hawaiian fired quickly out of the gate and took the lead. After enduring an early test from Alter Boy, he stayed strong in the stretch and pushed back the challenge of Romantic Ride. He hit the wire two lengths clear while completing six furlongs in 1:11.75.
The Resolute team erupted in cheers down the stretch, all sporting their Awesome Hawaiian sweatshirts as he was welcomed into the winner's circle.
"Our goal was just to get him to the track. That's awesome if he just goes to the track," Sarah Stewart said. "I kept saying he could run last and I will be over here cheering my heart out. This horse has heart, he has passion, he went for it."
"I was super excited, really proud of Sarah," John Stewart said. "It just brings to light all the work that our team does on rescues, and it's a positive story around the rescue horses as well."
With it being a claiming race, there was the risk of losing Awesome Hawaiian, which they did. The gelding was claimed by trainer Joe Sharp and owner Larry Romero. However, it might not be the end of his story with Resolute.
"We're going to find who claimed him and try to buy him back," John Stewart said.
