Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Al's Gal (English Channel), who came up a half-length short of earning a Grade I victory when second in the Aug. 13 GI Beverly D. S., just held off Suffused (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) by a desperate nose to win the GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine Sunday.
Al's Gal chased pacesetting Parvaneh (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor) from second through tepid fractions of :26.05 and :49.83. She overtook the pacesetter at the top of the stretch and began to forge clear, but Suffused, who had been forced to wait for racing room at the top of the lane, found a seam to run through with a furlong to run and closed eagerly to just miss catching the game Al's Gal.
“There was no traffic for me today,” said winning jockey Florent Geroux. “When we broke from the gate, I was right there, second position all the way and when I asked her turning from home, she just gave me a nice turn of foot and was very brave. I don't have any game plan especially with horses like this who are very manageable and have tactical speed.”
Jose Ortiz aboard the narrowly beaten runner-up acknowledged the traffic troubles he encountered in the stretch likely impacted the finish.
“I wish I could have been in the clear before, but I followed the winner the whole way,” said Ortiz. “It was very close in the end. I thought I had it, but I guess the head bob went to him.”
Claimed by the Ramseys for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park in February 2015, Al's Gal tried graded company for the first time with a fourth-place effort in the Mar. 5 The Very One S. Second when stretched out to 1 1/2 miles in the Apr. 29 GIII Bewitch S., the bay mare aired by 5 1/2 lengths at that distance in the May 28 Keertana S. at Churchill. Second in both the July 9 GIII Modesty H. and the Aug. 13 Beverly D., Al's Gal was coming off a 1 1/2-length tally in the Sept. 15 Ladies Marathon S. at Kentucky Downs.
Pedigree Notes:
Dans La Ville (Chi) (Winning), with Al's Gal in utero RNA'd for $2,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale. She is the dam of Brazilian group winner May Be Now (Smart Strike), as well as graded stakes placed Ann of the Dance (English Channel). She is a full-sister to Chilean champion grass mare Santona (Chi), the dam of 2003 GIII Pennsylvania Derby winner Grand Hombre (Grand Slam).
Sunday, Woodbine
E. P. TAYLOR S. PRESENTED BY HPIBET-GI, C$501,600, WO, 10-16, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT, 2:01.60, fm.
1–@&AL'S GAL, 124, m, 5, by English Channel
1st Dam: Dans La Ville (Chi), by Winning
2nd Dam: Syracuse, by Sharp-Eyed Quillo
3rd Dam: Segesta, by Straight Die (GB)
($50,000 Wlg '11 FTKNOV; $30,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP; $40,000
2yo '13 KEEAPR). O-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey; B-Malone
Racing LLC (PA); T-Michael J. Maker; J-Florent Geroux.
C$300,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 26-8-8-3, $749,775. *Full
to Ann of the Dance, SW & GSP, $198,332. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: B+.[bullet ad=”fourstar-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”glencrest-raised”][bullet ad=”paramount-congratulations”][bullet ad=”pa-bred”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-hip-103-ftknov”][bullet ad=”dam-sold-by-fernando-diaz-valdes”]
2–Suffused (GB), 124, f, 4, Champs Elysees (GB)–Scuffle (GB),
by Daylami (Ire). O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-William I.
Mott. C$100,000.
3–Banzari (GB), 124, f, 4, Motivator (GB)–Bantu (GB), by Cape
Cross (Ire). (34,000gns Ylg '13 TAOCT; 24,000gns 3yo '15
TATMAR; €400,000 4yo '16 ARARC). O-Bobby Flay; B-New
England Stud & Barton Stud (GB); T-H. F. Devin. C$50,000.[bullet ad=”delahooke-shell”]
Margins: NO, HF, HD. Odds: 6.15, 7.40, 21.30.
Also Ran: Guapaza (Chi), Rainha Da Bateria, Swiss Range (GB), Nezwaah (GB), Parvaneh (Ire), Tuttipaesi (Ire), Strut the Course, Aim to Please (Fr), Best In The World (Ire). Scratched: Uchenna (Ire).
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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