Awardee Euthanized Following Training Injury
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Photo: Dubai Racing Club/Neville Hopwood
Awardee out on the track in the early morning at Meydan prior to the 2018 Dubai World Cup
Koji Maeda's Awardee was euthanized Aug. 6 after suffering a fracture to his right hock during training at Daisen Hills, the training facility of Maeda's North Hills Farm. The news was made public Aug. 11.
The 8-year-old Awardee was a half brother to 2016 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) third-place finisher Lani and the fourth foal out of Heavenly Romance, who won the autumn edition of the 2005 Tenno Sho (Emperor's Cup, G1), beating colts and older horses such as Zenno Rob Roy and champion Heart's Cry.
After spending three breeding seasons in Japan, Heavenly Romance was shipped to Lane's End Oak Tree Division near Lexington, Ky., where Maeda boards some of his mares, prior to the 2010 breeding season. She was carrying a colt by Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) and Japan Cup (G1) winner Jungle Pocket and foaled the colt, later named Awardee, on May 10, 2010.
Heavenly Romance has remained in Kentucky. Lani, her son by Tapit , competed in all three legs of the American Triple Crown in 2016 after winning the U.A.E Derby Sponsored By The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2).
Trained by Mikio Matsunaga, Awardee came into his own as a 6-year old, the same year Lani shipped to the U.S. to compete in the classics, and between 2015-16 won five stakes. In December of that 6-year-old season he also finished runner-up in both the Champions Cup (G1) and the Tokyo Daishoten (G1). Awardee went on to run in the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan twice. He finished fifth to Arrogate in 2017 and sixth to Thunder Snow in 2018.
Awardee earned a total of ¥435,104,000 (US$4,502,354) and had a record of 10-6-8 from 42 starts.