Gulfstream: Awesome Feather puts unbeaten streak on line in Sunshine Millions Distaff

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. If it is possible to improve upon perfection, then trainer Chad Brown has done so with the undefeated filly Awesome Feather.

Awesome Feather was already a Grade 1 winner and champion when she arrived in his barn in December 2010, but Brown was quickly faced with a new challenge in his quest to keep the fillys perfect record intact. A significant tendon injury kept Awesome Feather away from the races for the majority of her 3-year-old campaign. Frank Stronach had purchased Awesome Feather out of the Fasig-Tipton auction in Kentucky two days after she won the 2010 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, capping her championship 2-year-old season.

When Brown did get her back to the races last fall, Awesome Feather won an overnight sprint stakes at Belmont in October and the Grade 1 Gazelle at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct in November.

Saturday, Awesome Feather will try to make it 9 for 9 when she runs in the $300,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park.

Awesome Feather will face six challengers, including the improving Tiz the Argument, who has won three straight for Richard Dutrow Jr.; Sweet Repent, winner of last years Sunshine Millions Distaff; and Delightful Mary, third to Awesome Feather in the 2010 Juvenile Fillies.

Brown admits there is some pressure to keep Awesome Feather undefeated.

Its something you try your best to keep intact, you certainly dont want to let anybody down, so you feel a little bit extra pressure, Brown said Wednesday in his office at the Palm Meadows training center. All we can really do is make sure shes happy and healthy and training good and just run her when thats the case; give her the best chance to continue that streak. Right now shes happy and training well so well lead her over there.

Awesome Feather was a dominant 5 1/4-length winner of last years Gazelle on Nov. 26. This race immediately became the next objective for Awesome Feather, a daughter of Awesome of Course.

Brown said that the tendon is not a major issue anymore for Awesome Feather, who has had an uninterrupted training schedule since shipping to south Florida in early December.

You have to be aware of it, you have to monitor it, but its not something that were doing continual therapy on or is something were nursing or anything like that, Brown said. It happened, its healed, it looks fine right now. Its just something that you just keep an eye on to make sure nothing changes day to day on it and nothing has.

Brown hopes that by sundown Saturday, Awesome Feathers perfect record hasnt changed either.