BY AVALYN HUNTER
Ocala Stud’s Awesome Slew—Florida’s champion freshman sire in 2022 and champion second-crop sire in 2023—continued dominance of his cohort in 2024, topping Florida’s third-crop sire list. He was seventh among all Florida sires by progeny earnings with $2,215,773 and tied for sixth by number of winners with 37. Thus far in 2025, Awesome Slew has 10 winners as of Wednesday morning and there is good reason to anticipate more are coming.
Among Awesome Slew’s runners in 2024, pride of place goes to Hades (The Shady Lady, by Quality Road), who upset 2023 American champion 2-year-old male Fierceness to win the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February at Gulfstream Park. Hades went on to gain three stakes placings during the rest of 2024, including a second to Domestic Product in the Grade 3 Dwyer during the Belmont at Big A meet in July and has a career bankroll of $374,650. Awesome Slew was also represented in 2024 by stakes-placed R Disaster (already a winner in 2025), Wiggle An’ Wine, Hihellohowareyou, and Awesome Train.
As a sales sire, Awesome Slew has had 2-year-olds in training sell for as much as $700,000 during the three years that his progeny have been on offer. Last year, the eight Awesome Slew juveniles sold averaged $27,500. They included Prime Crown, a full brother to Hades who sold for $100,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Spring Sale of Two Year Olds in Training.
(Prime Crown’s Under Tack Video / Walking Video)
Bred in Florida by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, Awesome Slew is a muscular, good-sized horse with solid substance and bone. He has the physical makeup to sire attractive youngsters and according to Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell, most of his foals have their “old man’s” size and clean legs.
Awesome Slew has significant racing talent to bequeath. The winner of the 2016 Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) as a 3-year-old and the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) and Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at age 4, he placed in nine other graded races, including the 2017 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and two other Grade 1 events. He retired having won or placed in 16 of his 23 starts for earnings of $1,223,310.
Awesome Slew is by 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)-winner Awesome Again. A half-brother to stakes-winner He’s Bankable (by Arch) and to Grade 3-placed Souper Lucky (by Giant’s Causeway), Awesome Slew is out of Grade 2-placed stakes winner Slewfoundmoney (by Seeking the Gold), a full sister to 2005 Kent Breeders’ Cup (G3)-winner Seeking Slew and a half-sister to 2004 Bold Ruler Handicap (G3)-winner Canadian Frontier (by Gone West). Slewfoundmoney, in turn, is out of the Seattle Slew mare Borodislew, a multiple Grade 2 winner and a half-sister to Italian group 3 winner Breath of Love (by Mutakddim).
“The best thing about Awesome Slew is that he just keeps siring winners,” O’Farrell said. “He gets racehorses and that’s what the game’s about.”
Awesome Slew is standing the 2025 season for $4,000 stands and nurses.
Return to the March 5 issue of Wire to Wire
