On Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, Belmont Park will host the eighth running of the $89,000 Awad Stakes, 1-1/16 mile race on the turf for 2-year-olds. It is scheduled as Race 8 on the card with a post time of 4:27 p.m.
Multiple graded stakes winner Awad was a homebred for Ryehill Farm and trained by David Donk. The son of Caveat, out of Dancer's Candy, by Noble Dancer (GB), Awad ran in eight graded-stakes races with his four biggest wins coming in Grade 1 contests on the turf. Those wins were the Secretariat Stakes, a 1-1/4- mile race at Arlington Park on Aug. 29, 1993; the Early Times Manhattan Stakes, a 1-1/4 mile race at Belmont Park on June 10, 1995; the Arlington Million, a 1-1/4 mile race at Arlington Park on Aug. 27, 1995; and the Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap, a 1-1/2 mile race at Saratoga on Aug. 9, 1997.
Awad was known for his incredible speed and set two track records during his career. The first was in the 1995 Arlington Million, where he ran the 1-1/4-mile race in 1:58.69 to become the first to finish in under two minutes. The second came in the 1997 Sword Dancer Invitational, where, at age seven, he ran the 1-1/2-mile in 2:23.20.
After just one race in 1998, he was retired after 70 starts, finishing his career with 14 wins, two seconds, 11 thirds, and $3,270,131 in earnings.
He stood at stud at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland and Castle Rock Farm in Pennsylvania until 2006, when he was pensioned and came to Old Friends in September thanks to his former trainer, David Donk.
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