Whyruawesome Seeks Breakthrough Victory

Windy Hill Farm’s Whyruawesome, who hasn’t found the winners circle in four tries since breaking his maiden at first asking last August, has impressed trainer Anne Smith so much in his recent training that she’s sending him from her winter base at the Fair Grounds to take on the quality field in the Smarty Jones.

“He’s doing really well,” said Smith. “His confidence keeps improving and he’s definitely maturing. He’s got a really good mind for such a young horse. I can see the difference between him at ages two and three.”

The gelded son of Whywhywhy and the Awesome Again mare Awesome Frances was no threat to the winner when he last competed in November in the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs. After running on the Polytrack at Arlington and Keeneland in his first four efforts, it was his first race on the dirt.

Whyruawesome tuned up for the one-mile Smarty Jones with a pair of solid works on Jan. 5 (5f in 1:00.80 breezing) and Jan. 12 (4f in 48.08 breezing) over The Fair Grounds main track and is signaling that dirt may be his preferred surface.

Whyruawesome is scheduled to arrive in Hot Springs on Saturday and will be bedded down in the barn of Bret Calhoun. Smith said she will be at Oaklawn to saddle him and give jockey Channing Hill a leg up.

“Channing hasn’t ridden him before but he is familiar with him from seeing him run at Arlington last year and also being around my barn,” she said.