Awesome Aaron An Upset Winner Of The Pimlico Special

Now a winner from six furlongs to 1 3/16 miles, Awesome Aaron continued his positive trend for trainer Norm Casse with an off-the-pace upset in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. After a career spent at nearly every level of racing, the 6-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke proved his 5 3/4-length roll in an allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn last time out was no fluke (nor was the 104 Beyer Speed Figure that accompanied it). That win on Apple Blossom day Apr. 12, his first since getting claimed for $40,000 at Churchill Downs off a win going six furlongs last September, was the latest in an uptick of ability for Casse, marking his fifth-straight Beyer increase dating back to December.

Making his 34th overall start and just his second run in a graded stakes (he was sixth to Elite Power in 2023 GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap), the 7-1 shot had plenty of clear running room at the break and settled into a perfect stalking trip outside of the two favorites in Encino (Nyquist) and Phileas Fogg as the field passed the wire for the first time. Still widest of a host of pursuers as Encino put up an opening half-mile in :47.17, Awesome Aaron pulled away into a clear third into the far turn and was poised to strike from the top of the lane as Encino gave way up front. Phileas Fogg, second throughout, got first jump on the lead but Awesome Aaron always had his measure and pushed right on past inside the sixteenth pole to victory.

“Just from Day One since we got him, he acted like a really good horse,” said Casse. “It was pretty obvious to me, basically right away, at some point we were going to stretch him out. That was working; he was running really well stretching out, but there was just something missing. So last time we just took the blinkers off, and that allowed him to settle just a little bit more, let him finish a little bit better. And he beat a quality field of horses at Oaklawn that day. I knew he was going to run really well today, especially stretching out even a little more. So, we expected to go over there and run really well. And we did. Johnny rode him perfect. It's truly a gratifying win. That's a big-time race that anybody would like to win, so we're very proud of that.”

The 49th stakes winner for Practical Joke, Awesome Aaron is out of a stakes-winning first dam in Do the Dance who is herself a half-sister to Japanese stakes winner/MGSP Randonnee (Blame). A classy 2-year-old, Awesome Aaron brought $350,000 from Bradley Thoroughbreds from the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. Do the Dance has not been bred or produced a foal since her now 3-year-old Nyquist colt named King Dance was exported to Hong Kong.

Congratulations to the connections of #FasigGrad AWESOME AARON, winner of the Pimlico Special S. (G3)!

O: Turman Racing Stable & AJ Suited Racing Stable
T: Norm Casse
J: @ljlmvelpic.twitter.com/i8ZOuZ96t2

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) May 16, 2025

Saturday, Pimlico
PIMLICO SPECIAL S.-GIII, $250,000, Pimlico, 5-16, 3yo/up, 1 3/16m, 1:56.67, ft.
1–AWESOME AARON, 122, g, 6, by Practical Joke
   1st Dam: Do the Dance (SW, $198,980), by Discreet Cat
   2nd Dam: Loure, by A.P. Indy
   3rd Dam: Loving Pride, by Quiet American
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). O-Turman Racing
Stable, LLC and AJ Suited Racing Stable LLC; B-Lester Kwok &
Dr. Naoya Yoshida (KY); T-Norm W. Casse; J-John R. Velazquez.
$150,000. Lifetime Record: 34-6-3-6, $571,263. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Phileas Fogg, 122, g, 5, Astern (Aus)–Merino, by More Than
Ready. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($55,000 3yo '23 KEENOV).
O-Jupiter Stable LLC; B-Godolphin (KY); T-Gustavo Rodriguez.
$50,000.
3–Star of Wonder, 122, c, 4, Uncle Mo–Starship Warpspeed, by
Congrats. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
'TDN Rising Star'. O-WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $25,000.
Margins: 3/4, 4 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.00, 2.50, 1.90.
Also Ran: San Siro, Cataleya Strike, Time for Trouble, Encino, Just Steel, Red Route One. Scratched: Pyrenees. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.