Almond Lee still remains one win off reaching his performance benchmark for the season but he keeps producing horses which will be winning races soon and the latest of them was Unique Awesome on Tuesday.
A three-year-old having his first start, Unique Awesome had performed well leading into his fifth to Lucky Scepter, sustaining solid sectional times through both the middle and final stages of his most recent trial win.
That suggested he is more of a stayer for the future than a 1,400m sprinter for his debut, which is probably why he went out at long odds. The former proposition was confirmed on Tuesday, even if the latter didn't get much of a chance.
Whether Unique Awesome could have been competitive on debut, instead of being beaten just under two lengths, we will never know because he was clobbered out of the gates by the eventual winner in the next stall jumping left.
That reduced the tactical options Vincent Ho Chak-yiu might have had and he was forced to ride Unique Awesome in the back part of the field, although he may have been unable to keep up had he landed in a closer position anyway as Ho was continually chasing him up to hold his place even in the modest tempo.
But what was eye-catching was the way Unique Awesome found the line in the final 200m to take lengths off the on pace horses, who fought out the race. His finishing section was the sixth-fastest all day, bettered only by Able Friend and Rewarding Hero in the Group Two and Teofilo Calva, Charles The Great and All You Wish in the Group Three, and that isn't bad company for a debutant.
He's by Teofilo, who seems to throw horses for all kinds of distances, from sprinter Teofilo Calva to Doncaster Handicap winner, Kermadec, to Derby winners in Ireland and Brisbane, but Unique Awesome's dam is by Peintre Celebre, which is probably where the stamina side takes precedence.
Unique Awesome looks to have improvement to come, physically and mentally, but should be talented enough to get away with at least a Class Four this campaign and then be seen in a better light as he matures next season.
