Awesome Speed Tries One Mile at Gulfstream

Colts Neck Stables' Awesome Speed, a back-to-back winner at Laurel Park, will stretch out to one mile for the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 2 at Gulfstream Park.

The Mucho Macho Man is one of three stakes for 3-year-old males on the Saturday program. The other two, both grade III events, are the $100,000 Hutcheson at six furlongs and the $100,000 Dania Beach at 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass.

Awesome Speed, trained by Alan Goldberg, didn't fire during his career debut at Parx Racing in August, but returned to break his maiden going six furlongs at Laurel in October. In his most recent start, the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel in November, the Awesome Again   colt took over after the first quarter-mile and held tenaciously to win by three-quarters of a length over Never Gone South.

A $335,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale of 2-year-olds in training, Awesome Speed has been training at Palm Meadows.

"He ran terrible in his first race and we didn't understand it," Goldberg said. "He trained well for his first race; he trained well for his next start. He ran his second start like he was supposed to run the first time.

"We'll keep him around one turn and see how he gets a mile and go from there. He's not a big old heavy horse. He has a pretty long stride, so we're hopeful (he'll stretch out around two turns)."

Jacks Or Better Farm's Fellowship, winner of the $500,000 In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes, again tackles open company in the Mucho Macho Man for trainer Stanley Gold. The son of Awesome of Course has two-turn experience, as the In Reality was at 1 1/16 miles, and he later finished second behind Rafting in the one-mile Smooth Air Stakes around two turns at Gulfstream Park West.

"I'm not sure how much potential he's got," Gold said. "It makes you hopeful that he'll keep on going and go long because of his running style. We'll find out."