Long before Hall of Famer Jimmy Croll trained Holy Bull to the 1994 Horse of the Year title, he earned national recognition with the 2-year-old filly Forward Gal. In 1970, the gray daughter of Native Charger won five of six starts, including four stakes, to earn a division championship.
Although she never ran in Florida, in 198,1 Gulfstream Park named a race in her honor. On Saturday, the 7-furlong, $275,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies will be run on the same card as the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old males.
The Forward Gal will award Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points to the first five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis, just as the Holy Bull does for the Kentucky Derby (G1).
But if recent history is a guide, don’t expect the Forward Gal winner to wear the garland of lilies on Oaks Day at Churchill Downs. In the past 36 years, only Cathryn Sophia (2016) swept both races.
If you cash on the Forward Gal heroine, you won’t be wondering about whether she can handle 1 1/8 miles on the first Friday in May. You’ll be too busy celebrating.
For those who like to bet on horse racing, here are a few thoughts about this early stop on the road to the Oaks.
Mythical’s 5-for-6 record, with four stakes wins, jumps off the page. This intimidating 5-2 betting choice is also a horse for course (3-for-3 at Gulfstream). She’s 1-for-2 at 7 furlongs, with her only loss coming in Saratoga’s Spinaway Stakes (G1), in which she faded to fifth after dueling through a 44 2/5-second half mile. She won the 6½-furlong Adirondack Stakes (G3) at the Spa, and her total margin in five victories is almost 30 lengths. Beat her to win.
On Time Girl, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, has yet to try 7 furlongs for Brad Cox, but she should get the distance with no trouble. By top sire Not This Time, she closed strongly to win a listed stakes going 6½ furlongs. She’s 3-for-4 and looks like the main threat to Mythical.
Tessellate (6-1) likes elongated sprints, coming off romps at 6½ and 7 furlongs (total margin: 15¾ lengths) for Gulfstream king Saffie Joseph, Jr. Those were listed stakes, and this is her first time in a graded race. She should be competitive, although her late-pace numbers are mediocre.
Cox’s other entrant, undefeated Sneaky Good (6-1), deserves a long look. She’s 2-for-2 at 6 furlongs, and her regal pedigree says the longer, the better. She is by perennial leading sire Into Mischief out of a mare by Tonalist, winner of the 2014 Belmont Stakes (G1).
Hollen Drive (15-1) could be an intriguing longshot for up-and-coming trainer Will Walden. She won a 6½-furlong optional claimer by two lengths at Gulfstream with a four-wide move on the turn. Negative: Poor speed figures.
Music Burst, Secane, and Imperatrice all have only a maiden victory and seem overmatched.
The picks: 1 Mythical 2 On Time Girl 3 Sneaky Good
1 Music Burst (Luis Saez, Rusty Arnold), 10-1
2 Tessellate (Junior Alvarado, Saffie Joseph, Jr.), 6-1
3 Secane (Micah Husbands, Saffie Joseph, Jr.), 12-1
4 Mythical (Edgard Zayas, Jorge Delgado), 5-2
5 Sneaky Good (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox), 8-1
6 On Time Girl (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Brad Cox), 9-5
7 Hollen Drive (Jorge Ruiz, Will Walden), 15-1
8 Imperatrice (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher), 5-1
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
