Awesome Banner kicked off his 2018 campaign with a scintillating performance in the $100,000 Fire Plug S. at Laurel Park on Jan. 20, blistering the six furlongs in 1:08.94 while defeating It's the Journey by a half-length.

The 5-year-old son of Awesome of Course, a Jacks or Better homebred, now has won or placed in 15 stakes, and has a record of 7-6-3 in 23 starts, with earnings of $863,390.

After dueling with Favorite Tale through a half-mile in a lively :45,10, Awesome Banner surged to the lead in upper stretch, then held off a trio of challengers to get his first stakes win since Nov. 2016.

Awesome of Course, sire of Eclipse Champion Awesome Feather, is one of Florida's leading sires of 2-year-olds by sales average and was a top-10 sire in the Sunshine State in 2017. He is standing this year at Ocala Stud for a fee of $4,000 live foal.