Four-year-old Slow Down Andy, owned by Paul Reddam Racing and trained by Doug O'Neill, gave notice that he could be tough in the Awesome Again when he ran third to 3-year-olds Arabian Knight and Geaux Rocket Ride in the Grade 1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Sept. 2 at Del Mar. That paycheck put Slow Down Andy over the $1 million mark. Neither Arabian Knight nor Geaux Rocket Ride entered the Awesome Again.
"This is going to sound like a coach crying, but I was disappointed that one of them didn't enter here," Reddam said, "because he had to give them six pounds (in the Pacific Classic), and they would have been equal weights today. In the Breeders' Cup, they (the 3-year-olds) get four."
Defunded, trained by Bob Baffert, finished sixth in the Pacific Classic, but prefers Santa Anita to Del Mar. Baffert also entered 2023 Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure, who was making his first start against older runners.
Slow Down Andy's race in the Pacific Classic appealed to bettors, who made him the 2-1 favorite over the Baffert duo. National Treasure went off as the 3-1 second choice, with Defunded 7-2.
When the gate opened, somewhat to Reddam's surprise, Slow Down Andy and regular pilot Mario Gutierrez went right to the lead.
"I thought the two Bafferts would go," Paul Reddam said. "I think he just outbroke them. We've tried to get him to relax in races, and he's been rank. Today we said just let him go. Wherever he wants to be, that's where he wants to be — don't fight him."
Gutierrez did exactly that. Slow Down Andy was able to dictate the pace from the front on a track that was wet-fast because of a short burst of rain early in the day. Longshot Celestial Moon and Defunded stuck fairly close to Slow Down Andy, but the Reddam runner maintained about a length advantage at every call.
"He's always a good breaker," Gutierrez said. "I think we took advantage of the good, clean break. He relaxed. I tried not to fight him. My goal today was to let him run comfortable and it paid off."
Slow Down Andy set fractions of :22.97, :46.91, and 1:10.59. By the time Defunded tried to close the gap in the stretch, Slow Down Andy had enough left to pull away from Defunded, ultimately beating him by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:47.62. Grade 2 San Diego Handicap winner Senor Buscador, who raced next-to-last early, closed for third, a length behind Defunded and 1 1/2 lengths in front of fourth-place National Treasure.
The Awesome Again is Slow Down Andy's fourth stakes victory, but it has been a dry spell between winner's circle visits since Slow Down Andy last won in the 2022 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby more than a year ago. He finished third in the 2022 Awesome Again and 2022 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in addition to his placings in the Pacific Classic and San Diego.
A return trip to the 2023 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile would be another option for Slow Down Andy's next start, but Reddam maintained that the Classic "is the plan."
