Awesome Speed prevails at odds-on in Mucho Macho Man

Quickly recovering from an early bump, Awesome Speed tracked pacesetter Aggressive Driver to the quarter pole and then proved best through the stretch to take Saturday's $100,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park.

The 3-5 favorite in the one-mile test for three-year-olds, Awesome Speed was the fourth of five winners on the day for Joel Rosario, who guided the Awesome Again colt in a time of 1:35.97 on a fast track. The win mutuel was $3.20.

Longshots El Charro and Bullet Gone Astray rounded out the top three in the strung-out field of seven.

This was the third consecutive win for Awesome Speed, whom Colts Neck Stable acquired for $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton March Sale last year. After dropping his debut at Parx in late August, Awesome Speed rebounded to win twice at Laurel, in an October 10 maiden and then the $100,000 James F. Lewis III over six furlongs November 14.

Trained by Alan Goldberg, Awesome Speed has now bankrolled $143,860.

“He’ll stretch out to a mile and a sixteenth, but I don’t know if he’ll stretch out with good horses. We’ll see," Goldberg said. “Before the race I was thinking we would pass the Holy Bull (G2) and just try for the Fountain of Youth (G2) but we’ll see.”

The $350,000 Holy Bull is scheduled for January 30 and the $400,000 Fountain of Youth is on February 27.

(Photo: Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography)