Something Awesome, Unbridled Juan seeking rebounds in Pimlico Special

Stronach Stable homebred stablemates Something Awesome and Unbridled Juan both worked a half-mile Saturday at Laurel Park in advance of the Grade 3, $300,000 Pimlico Special on Friday's Black-Eyed Susan undercard.

Something Awesome, beaten as the favorite in last year’s Pimlico Special, breezed in 49 seconds, 15th fastest of 45 horses at the distance, while Unbridled Juan went the same four furlongs in 48.60 seconds, ranking 11th. Both works came over a muddy main track.

A multiple graded-stakes winner of more than $1.3 million in 29 career starts, 8-year-old Something Awesome is winless in three 2019 starts, finishing sixth April 20 in defense of his upset in last year’s Charles Town Classic (G2).

“Something Awesome right now is back pretty much and in the right condition. He’s training really well,” trainer Jose Corrales said. “He’s an older horse, and they do as much as they want to do. That horse has given me so much for my whole career, I can’t ask for anything more. I’m very blessed with having that horse and having him do what he’s done.”

Something Awesome had won three straight races, all in stakes, heading into last year’s Pimlico Special, a run started in the General George (G3) at Laurel. He was off the board in both that and the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park to open 2019.

“He’s going in this year a little more fresh than what he was last year. Last year he won three stakes in a row and did a lot right away quick,” Corrales said. “He ran so much last year and did so much, I think if he’s going to run any better it will probably happen in this race.”

Unbridled Juan, 7, finished a nose behind Something Awesome in seventh in the 1 1/8-mile Charles Town Classic, only the fifth time in 30 lifetime races he was worse than third. He began this year running fourth in the Fred Hooper (G3) at Gulfstream, third in the John B. Campbell and second in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial, the latter two at Laurel, beaten a total of four lengths.

“The horse is working really good right now. He’s training real good. I’m surprised he didn’t run as good as expected at a Charles Town,” Corrales said. “He’d never been there. It was his first time and I think with the small racetrack, I don’t think it was in his favor.”

Unbridled Juan is a two-time stakes winner who ran second in last year’s $250,000 Dixie on the Preakness undercard, a race downgraded to Grade 3 status when it was rained off the grass. This year’s Pimlico Special was lengthened from 1 3/16 to 1 ¼ miles.

“He’ll like the distance,” Corrales said. “He ran well this year. He’s a funny horse in that he’s not the kind of horse that’s going to go over there and win by five lengths, even if he’s the best horse in the race. The races don’t always set up the way you want them. He just hasn’t had a lot of luck.”