Awad (horse)

For the Arabic first name and surname, see Awad.

Awad
Sire	Caveat [1]
Grandsire	Cannonade
Dam	Dancer's Candy
Damsire	Noble Dancer
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	January 25, 1990 Ryehill Farm, near Mount Airy, Maryland
Died	July 23, 2011(2011-07-23) (aged 21) Old Friends Equine, Kentucky
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Owner	Jim Ryan
Trainer	David G. Donk
Record	70: 14-10-11 [2]
Earnings	US$3,270,131
Major wins
Secretariat Stakes (1993) Arlington Million (1995) Manhattan Handicap (1995) Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap (1997)
Honours
Awad Stakes at Belmont Park Maryland-bred Champion Turf Horse (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997) Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame (2015)
Last updated on February 12, 2026

Awad (1990 - 2011) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that raced primarily in the Unite States in the mid-1990s. He was owned by Jim Ryan, who named him after the Palestinian peace activist Mubarak Awad.

Trained by David G. Donk, Awad was a successful racehorse, achieving four Grade 1 victories, and earning over three million dollars in prize money. His victory at the 1995 Arlington Million at a time of 1:58:69 was a course record at the time, eventually surpassed by Set Piece in 2023. ^{[3] [4] [5]} Having won the Secretariat Stakes in 1993, Awad was the first horse to win both Grade 1 turf tracks at Arlington Park. ^{[6] [7]}

After starting in over 70 races, Awad retired from racing to stand as a stud at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City in 1999, transferring to their Pennsylvania farm in 2005. ^[8] He retired from active duty the year after in 2006, living out the rest of his life at the Old Friends Equine retirement stable in Kentucky. He died on July 23, 2011, from a heart attack. ^{[7] [9]}

Since 2012, Belmont Park has run the Awad Stakes, a 1-1/16 mile turf race on the turf for 2 year old horses, in honor of the horse. ^[10] Awad was inducted into the Maryland Throughbred Hall of Fame in 2015. ^{[11] [12]}

References

1. "Awad Horse Pedigree". Thoroughbred Horse Pedigree Query. 1990-01-25. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
2. "Awad Race Record". Equibase. 1990-01-25. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
3. Kieckhefer, Robert (1995-08-27). "Awad wins Arlington Million XV". UPI. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
4. "1995 Arlington Million Stakes Grade 1 - (race 8)". Equibase. 27 August 1995. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
5. "2023 Arlington Million Stakes Grade 1 - (race 10)" (PDF). Equibase. 12 August 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-13. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
6. "Class of 2015: Awad". Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2025-12-18. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
7. "Multiple Grade I Winner Awad Dead". BloodHorse. 2011-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-11-02. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
8. "Maryland's Thoroughbred Millionaires' Club". The Equiery. 2022-05-09. Archived from the original on 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
9. "Awad 1990-2011 & Cozy Miss 1988-2011". Old Friend Equine. 2011-07-28. Archived from the original on 2025-03-23. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
10. "Old Friends Celebrates Saturday's Eighth Running Of Awad Stakes - Horse Racing News". Paulick Report. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
11. "Little Bold John, Awad Honored In Maryland". Paulick Report. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
12. "Awad, Little Bold John enter Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame". The Racing Biz. 2015-04-28. Archived from the original on 2025-12-07. Retrieved 2026-02-12.