Awesome Banner, Piloting breeze for Sunshine Millions

Trainer Mark Casse sent out Awesome Banner and Piloting for works Friday morning with an eye on running them both on the Sunshine Millions card at Gulfstream Park Jan. 21.

At Palm Meadows Training Center, Awesome Banner, last year’s winner of the Hutcheson (G3) and Swale (G2), covered a half-mile in 48.50, the swiftest time of 43 workers at the distance. At Gulfstream Park, Piloting worked the same distance in 48.65. 

Both horses are nominees to the 1 1/8-mile Sunshine Millions Classic. Westbury Stables LLC’s Piloting is confirmed for that race. Jacks or Better Farm’s homebred Awesome Banner is also nominated to the six-furlong Sprint, and could run in either spot.

“He’s obviously been sprinting, but our feeling is when he ran long before [in last year’s Tampa Bay Derby and Fountain of Youth] he had a virus and he was just not himself,” Casse said. “I didn’t train him at that time, but that is what the owner told me, so we’re contemplating running him long.”

Awesome Banner, who won five stakes at Gulfstream Park in 2016, finished fifth in his most recent start, the Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita Dec. 26. 

Casse said Friday’s bullet work was typical for the 4-year-old.                    

“He does one or two things, he either goes really fast or really slow,” Casse said. “There’s no in between. If he isn’t going fast enough, he will actually pull himself up, so we kind of have to let him roll. He has a mind of his own. But you know what? When he’s as talented as he is, we let it pass.”

Piloting, a 6-year-old son of Tapit, enters the Classic following a runner-up finish in the local prep, the Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West in November. He was beaten that day by Mr. Jordan, who will pass the Classic in favor of Saturday’s Hal’s Hope (G3). 

“I’m excited about Piloting,” Casse said. “I think he is getting better and better, and he’s trained good. I think this could be a good spot for him.”

The 15th running of the Sunshine Millions is the prelude to the 46th annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony, which is being hosted for the fifth consecutive year at Gulfstream’s Sport of Kings Theater the evening of Jan. 21.

California Chrome work highlights earlier scheduled Breakfast Program 

In anticipation of Saturday, Jan. 14 workouts by Pegasus World Cup contenders California Chrome and Eragon, the weekly breakfast program opens one hour earlier at 7 a.m. and runs to its usual 11 a.m. closing time. Breakfast will return to an 8 a.m. start Jan. 21. 

California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year and 2016 Horse of the Year finalist, is scheduled to breeze at 7:30 a.m., his first work since arriving in South Florida from California Jan. 6. He will be followed by Argentinean Group 1 winner Eragon. 

There is no cost to attend breakfast with a buffet available for $10 per person. Kids 2 and under eat free. T-shirts will be given away with each buffet purchase.

Who’s Hot: Jockey Luca Panici scored a riding double by piloting the winners of Race 2, Buster Rocks ($6), and Race 4, Backseat Driver ($26.40). Luis Saez won back-to-back races, taking the fifth aboard Trickita ($39.80) and the following race astride Break Away ($9.40).