Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Street Sense Filly Runs to Short Odds in Forward Gal

Shadwell's Zaajel leap-frogged over her allowance condition into graded stakes company for Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S., but the move proved no problem for the daughter of Street Sense. A runaway 7 1/4-length winner in her career debut going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Dec. 20, she had been posting a steady string of works since, including a sharp five-furlong move in a bullet :59.93 at Palm Beach Downs Jan. 23. The well-backed 3-5 choice to make it two straight here, she didn't make the greatest of exits, relegating herself to the back of field early. With Queen Arella (Speightster) showing the way following an opening quarter in :22.77, Zaajel worked her way into contention from her outside berth through a :46.03 half. Putting the screws to the tiring leader approaching the quarter pole, she held a slim advantage straightening for home, was about a length clear through much of the stretch and, despite having showing the effects of her slow start late, she had enough to fend off 8-1 chance Lady Traveler by 1 1/4 lengths and the wire.

“She was misbehaving in the gate and she missed the break a little,” winning jockey Luis Saez. “After that, she just kept coming and everything went well, and she kept coming.”

Added Pletcher, “I was really pleased with the outcome. I was pretty concerned at the start. She got a little antsy in the gate and missed the break, and she put in a long, sustained run. That's hard to do, especially in her second start going from a maiden to a graded stake. But she's trained like a quality filly and she overcame some adversity today, so we're proud of her.”

Pedigree Notes:
Lightly-raced Asiya, a two-time winner for Shadwell and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, placed in a pair of stakes during her abbreviated racing career. A daughter of Shadwell's GI Cigar Mile winner Daaher, himself a full-brother to dual Grade I-winning Spun Sugar, Asiya's first foal Ajaaweed (Curlin) showed some promise at two winning his route debut in his second start before finishing a close-up second in the GII Remsen S. later that season. In his sole start at three, he finished third in last year's GIII Sam F. Davis S. In two subsequent seasons, the 11-year-old mare's foals failed to survive and she was bred to Blame on her latest cover.

Saturday, Gulfstream
FORWARD GAL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-30, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.72, ft.
1–ZAAJEL, 118, f, 3, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Asiya (MSP, $136,200), by Daaher
                2nd Dam: Khalila, by Elusive Quality
                3rd Dam: Indy Flash, by A.P. Indy
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Shadwell Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez.
$60,140. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $84,140. *1/2 to Ajaaweed
(Curlin), MGSP, $139,850. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lady Traveler, 118, f, 3, Quality Road–Ask the Question, by
Silver Deputy. ($350,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-West Point
Thoroughbreds, Ballantyne, John A., Freeman, William T. and
Valdes, Michael; B-Hidden Brook Farm, Candy Meadows LLC &
Chris Swann (KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $19,400.
3–Wholebodemeister, 120, f, 3, Bodemeister–Wholelottashakin,
by Scat Daddy. O/B-Sabana Farm, LLC (KY); T-Juan Carlos Avila.
$9,700.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 8.90, 17.70.
Also Ran: Dial to Win, Coach Jer's Joy, Competitive Speed, Three Tipsy Chix, Queen Arella. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Who Do You ‘Like’ in the Swale?

A last out runaway stakes winner will meet a pair of promising maiden winners in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. going seven furlongs at Gulfstream.

Save a forgettable trip to the post losing his rider at the start in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta last November, Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) has done no wrong in three other attempts, headed by a runaway, front-running tally in Gulfstream's six-furlong Limehouse S. Jan. 2.

“The Swale is a good opportunity to stretch him out an eighth of a mile more. We feel like it's a race that's his for the taking,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “His last race was a breakthrough race. We always thought a lot of him.”

The rail-drawn Likeable (Frosted) earned a trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile following an 8 1/4-length maiden breaker at Belmont going a mile second out Sept. 19. The bay, however, could do no better than 13th after pressing a hot pace while making his two turn debut at the Championships in Lexington most recently Nov. 6.

“We kind of threw him to the wolves in the Breeders' Cup. He went too fast early on,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We've regrouped since then and he's been training well. We feel like backing up to seven furlongs will be a good distance for him.”

By George (Into Mischief) impressively handled his business on debut for Christophe Clement over sharp next out winner Too Boss (El Padrino) at Aqueduct Dec. 19. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call on the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

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Never Surprised Looks to Remain Perfect in Kitten’s Joy

Never Surprised (Constitution) looks to take his perfect record to three-for-three Saturday as he tries graded company for the first time in the GIII Kitten's Joy S. A decisive debut winner sprinting on the turf at Aqueduct Nov. 8, the $200,000 KEESEP buy wired the field when stretching out to two turns next out in that venue's Central Park S. 20 days later. Bred on the same Constitution–Tiznow cross as MGISW Tiz the Law, the bay is favored in this sophomore bow and has three-time Eclipse winner Irad Ortiz in the irons.

Kentucky Pharoah (American Pharoah) is not undefeated in his career, but he is perfect on the grass. Off the board in his first two attempts on dirt in Kentucky last fall, the Calumet homebred graduated by 3 3/4 lengths when switched to the turf in Hallandale Dec. 19. The chestnut repeated with a dominant score in Gulfstream's Dania Beach S. next out Jan. 2.

It's a Gamble (English Channel) also exits the Dania Beach, where he finished fifth last time. A debut winner sprinting on the Saratoga lawn in August, the bay was fourth in the Nownownow S. at Monmouth Oct. 4 and could only manage seventh in Belmont's Awad S. on yielding ground Oct. 31. The New York-bred captured a six-panel turf event at Aqueduct Dec. 4 prior to the Dania Beach.

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‘Competitive’ Affair in Forward Gal

John Minchello's Competitive Speed (Competitive Edge) will put her three-race win streak on the line when she makes her debut in graded company in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream Park.

“This is going to be a big test, but I think she can make it,” trainer Javier Gonzalez said. “She's doing good and she is one of those horses that is never going to make you look bad,” he added. “I think she's going to run a very good race.”

Competitive Speed, sixth facing open maidens in the Gulfstream West slop Oct. 31, graduated by 1 1/2 lengths against $25,000 maiden claimers at Gulfstream West Nov. 12, beating a pair of next-out winners in the process. Shipped to Gulfstream for her next start Dec. 6, the chestnut came from off the pace to take a starter optional claimer by 4 1/2 lengths, then stepped up to add the 6 1/2-furlong Glitter Woman S. Jan. 2.

Competitive Speed, who failed to meet her reserve as a yearling at Keeneland in the fall of 2019, sold for $5,000 the following season at OBS in July.

“She's always doing better every day, and that's happened from the very first day that she came to the barn. When she came to us and started training and working and get condition, she was doing better,” Gonzalez added. “When we put her in company, she did better. Whatever we ask her to do, she did better. She's passed every test.”

Competitive Speed has breezed twice at Gulfstream West since the Glitter Woman, including a half-mile in :48.40 Jan. 16, third-fastest of 18 horses. Leonel Reyes will ride back from Post 3 in a field of eight.

“It was a little bit faster than I wanted, but she came back good. The next day she ate everything and she was happy,” Gonzalez said. “She's coming into the race really well.”

Shadwell Stable homebred Zaajel (Street Sense), enters the Forward Gal off a 7 1/4-length maiden special weight romp going seven panels at Gulfstream Dec. 20.

“She was very impressive in her debut and she's trained great since then,” Todd Pletcher said. “Ideally, I'd kind of like to run her in an allowance race, but we don't really have an option at the moment. Considering how well she ran at the distance and over the surface here, we'll give it a try. The seven furlongs was no problem in her debut.”

Luis Saez, up for her debut, gets the return call from Post 7.

Also one to watch is Coach Jer's Joy (Palace), who earned the top spot over a field that included Competitive Speed in the aforementioned Gulfstream West maiden Oct. 31. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the chestnut will be joined by freshly anointed Eclipse award winning rider, Irad Ortiz Jr.

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