Awesome Hawaiian, the rescued horse who paid back kindness with a victory

The son of Awesome Bet was purchased for $1,000 by the Resolute Racing team out of a rescue farm for abandoned horses; they put him into training, and he debuted a winner at Churchill Downs…

Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrated with Awesome Hawaiian as if it were a G1 / RESOLUTE RACING

Some stories rise far beyond the charts and the purse, restoring horse racing to its most noble core. What unfolded Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs might look insignificant on paper—a $30,000 claiming race, a two-length victory in 1:11.75. But the essence of the tale was written long before the gelding stepped onto the track… and continued long after he crossed the wire.

By Awesome Bet and sold as a yearling for just $1,000 in Louisiana, Awesome Hawaiian seemed destined for the worst possible fate when he—along with two other colts—ended up in a feedlot, one of those holding pens where unwanted horses wait with no future in sight. The fact that three Thoroughbred yearlings appeared there set off alarm bells across social media, and one of those posts reached the phone of Sarah Stewart, marketing director for Resolute Racing.

What followed was nearly a fairytale. Unable to reach her father, John Stewart, the operation’s founder, Sarah and Chelsey Stone Stewart made a snap decision: act first, apologize later. The apology was never needed—John backed the choice immediately. The three colts—eventually named Ed, Edd and Eddy—spent only two days in the feedlot before being moved to the team’s farm in Midway, Kentucky.

There they came under the care of Summer Harris, coordinator of the rescue program. The youngsters were physically sound, if understandably shaken. Two of them would never reach the races and now await futures as sport horses or trail companions. But Awesome Hawaiian showed something different from day one. At WinStar, he impressed with his attitude, cleared the veterinary inspection, and earned his shot at entering the system.

The task of training him fell to Will Walden, a man who knows firsthand what a second chance can mean. Walden discovered a diligent horse—“like a boxer dog, always alert, always ready,” he said. Lacking a glittering pedigree and being Louisiana-bred, Walden searched for a logical spot to debut him. Not $20,000. Not $50,000. $30,000 felt exactly right. It was, in a way, the one bullet they had.

And the bullet hit the mark. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Awesome Hawaiian ran like he knew there was far more at stake than a purse. He went straight to the lead, absorbed every challenge, and held firm to the wire. In the grandstand, the Resolute team celebrated as if they had won a G1. In spirit, they had.

“My goal was just to see him make it to the racetrack,” said an emotional Sarah. “He could have finished last and I would have been just as proud. This horse has heart.” Beside her, John understood the moment transcended sport: “It’s a way to show the value of rescue work. These horses still have so much to give.”

But the story added another twist: Awesome Hawaiian was claimed by the team of Joe Sharp and Larry Romero. “We’ll see who took him and we’ll try to buy him back,” Stewart said. It didn’t sound like a goodbye. And when the man sets a goal…

Because some victories in this game aren’t measured in times or dollars, but in what they stand for. And Awesome Hawaiian’s journey—from a feedlot to the winner’s circle—is one of those rare moments that elevate this sport and remind us why racing still has the power to move us like the very first day.