Awesome Czech brings consistent form to $150K Yaddo pres. by STIHL

Barry Schwartz’s New York homebred Awesome Czech brings consistent form to Friday’s $150,000 Yaddo presented by STIHL, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for state-bred fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 4-year-old daughter of Mendelssohn is already a stakes-winner over course and distance after capturing the state-bred Suzie O’Cain last year over the reopposing Brocknardini.

Awesome Czech was last seen grinding out a narrow victory with newfound pacesetting tactics on July 4 here, capturing a one-mile allowance versus open company by a head over next-out winner Vino Rouge. The effort was awarded an 85 Beyer Speed Figure, one tick below her career-best earned for a third in an open-company allowance in October at Belmont at the Big A.

De Paz said the addition of blinkers last out helped the bay filly show more speed than she had in her previous outings. The last time she made the early lead was as a juvenile when nearly wiring the one-mile Tepin at Aqueduct Racetrack with a neck loss to Memorialize.

“She’s doing well and she had a good race last time,” De Paz said. “I tried to go into a ‘2X’ next, but that race didn’t go, so here we are in the Yaddo. It was nice last time. I think the track played in her favor, but the blinkers seemed to put her a little more forward, so that was a positive result.”

Awesome Czech has made all but one of her last seven outings against open company, never finishing worse than fourth and landing a prominent fourth in the Listed Virginia Oaks last year at Colonial Downs. Her lone effort against fellow state-breds in that span was a third to returning rival Spinning Colors in the Mount Vernon over course and distance on June 4, which followed a neck second to Scarlet Poppy in a one-mile optional claimer in May at Belmont at the Big A.

“I always liked her since last year and we tried the Virginia Oaks thinking she could fit that company. It wasn’t a bad race, and she’s been doing well,” De Paz said. “There was no pace in the Mount Vernon – she ran honest, but with the way the race played out, it didn’t set up for her. She’s very honest and can be tactical, so we’ll see.”

Ricardo Santana, Jr., aboard for her last three outings, has the call from post 2.

Bourbon Lane Stable, HGS Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Hennig’s Spinning Colors [post 4, John Velazquez] was a half-length second in a division of the restricted Listed De La Rose last out on July 10. There, she led the field of seven through splits of 23.74, 47.51, 1:11.35 and 1:22.57 before being caught in the shadow of the wire by Ozara, who exited that effort to win the Grade 2 Ballston Spa on August 8 here.

“We are looking forward to this, and she ran great last time,” Hennig said. “She always runs well at Saratoga and she certainly likes it here. With that horse coming back and running well in the Ballston Spa, it certainly flattered the race.”

The 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun holds a 5-3-1-0 record over the Spa turf, including a 2 1/2-length win in the Mount Vernon on June 4. While each of her last six starts have seen her claim the early lead, Hennig said the bay naturally finds herself in that position without being asked.

“I think she’s adaptable but I just think she’s quick, and it would take a pretty fast horse to be in front of her,” Hennig said, with a laugh. “She comes away from there running and if someone wants to outrun her, they’re probably going to be going too fast – at least I hope so.”

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 15-5-3-1 record with $389,210 in total purse earnings.

The formidable Moonage Daydream [post 1, Flavien Prat] enters off a streak of three consecutive state-bred stakes scores for trainer Jorge Abreu, beginning with a 1 1/4-length win in this event last year over Marvelous Maude with a prominent trip engineered by Jose Ortiz. She went on to capture the nine-furlong John Hettinger in September and the Ticonderoga in October, both at Belmont at the Big A, ahead of a nearly 10-month respite.

Owned by Chris Larsen and bred by 3C Stable, the 5-year-old Candy Ride bay also won the Stewart Manor facing open company as a juvenile at Aqueduct Racetrack. She holds a consistent 12-6-1-1 record with nearly $500,000 in earnings.

Mark Anderson’s millionaire Sterling Silver [post 9, Junior Alvarado] has made 32 starts across five seasons of racing, but only one of them as come over turf, a two-length fourth in the 2023 six-furlong Autumn Days when in the care of now-retired trainer Tom Albertrani.

The 6-year-old Cupid gray makes her first turf start for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott after a half-mile breeze in 50.96 over the Oklahoma turf training track on August 15. Sterling Silver will also stretch out from seven furlongs after a distant third-place finish last out in the state-bred Johnstone on July 30 here.

A nine-time winner with five graded stakes placings, Sterling Silver has won five stakes, led by a 9 3/4-length romp in last year’s Johnstone when contested at one mile from the Spa’s Wilson Chute. She also crossed the wire four lengths in front in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom in 2023 at Belmont at the Big A, but was disqualified and placed second for interference in the stretch.

Bred by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort, Sterling Silver was purchased for just $13,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase and has banked more than $1.1 million in total purse earnings.

Completing the sizable field are the pair of multiple stakes-winner Bernietakescharge [post 3, Romero Maragh] and stakes-placed Bernt Again [post 11, Dylan Davis] for trainer Domenick Schettino; multiple stakes-winner Silver Skillet [post 10, Joel Rosario] for trainer Miguel Clement; stakes-winner Brocknardini [post 6, Manny Franco] for trainer George Weaver; stakes-placed Being Betty [post 7, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Lisa Bartkowski; allowance-winners Firsttimeinforever [post 5, Luis Rivera, Jr.] for trainer Joseph Lee and Midnight Concerto [post 12, Chris Elliott] for conditioner Ken McPeek; and maiden-winner She’s Our Tiz [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Michelle Giangiulio.

Amanda's Folly, Malu, Fast and Frisky and Krystalheir have been entered for the main track only.

The Yaddo is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race card, which also features the state-bred $150,000 Seeking the Ante in Race 3. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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