American Gal, one of the top 2-year-old fillies of last season, made her belated return to the races a successful one in her first start since being transferred from Bob Baffert to Simon Callaghan.
Favored in this short, but competitive field despite having to ship from Southern California, the Kaleem Shah homebred tugged her way through horses to emerge with a narrow early lead as the field remained in tight formation. Given her cue to quicken after a half in :45.84, she left her competition in the dust in midstretch and poured it on to win convincingly.
“Simon did a great job and she was ready to run today,” said winning pilot Flavien Prat, who hadn't ridden American Gal before. “She stumbled a bit from the gate, then after that when she was on the lead around the turn, she was ready.”
A first-up winner over two next-out graduates at Del Mar last August, American Gal resurfaced at Santa Anita Oct. 23 to cruise in the six-panel Anoakia S. Wheeled back on short rest to contest the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies around two turns, she endured an extremely wide journey, but kept on very well to be third as the tepid 4-1 favorite. The bay had last been seen settling for second at 9-10 in Los Alamitos Racecourse's Dec. 10 GI Starlet S. behind Abel Tasman (Quality Road).
Ironically, Abel Tasman had been trained at the time by Callaghan, but was transferred to Baffert this spring before she annexed the GI Kentucky Oaks and local GI Acorn S. Baffert and Shah parted ways at the beginning of 2017.
“She had worked brilliantly coming into this race, so we expected a big effort,” said Shah. “I would have been surprised if she had lost. I'm so pleased with the race and hopefully we go on to bigger and better things. Her next target will be the [GI] Test [S. at Saratoga Aug. 5].”
Pedigree Notes:
American Gal's dam American Story was a $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida juvenile purchase by Shah conditioned by Baffert. She was second three times in stakes company, including the GII Milady H. going two turns on the Hollywood synthetic in 2011. Second dam Holiday Runner, a precocious MSW/GSP runner in her own right, also produced MGISW router Seventh Street (Street Cry {Ire}) and ageless wonder Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown), who annexed the 2013 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and was a stakes winner this year at Meydan at age 11. American Gal was bred back to Concord Point–the 2010 GIII Iowa Derby and GII West Virginia winner for Baffert and Shah–in the two subsequent seasons after producing American Gal (and before that lightly raced but big-figure earning Americanize). Her unraced 2-year-old gelding is named American All Star, while her yearling filly is America's Starlet. American Story's weanling filly is named American Model, and was sired by another Shah colorbearer in 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Bayern.
Sunday, Belmont
VICTORY RIDE S.-GIII, $144,000, BEL, 7-9, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.38, ft.
1–@AMERICAN GAL, 115, f, 3, by Concord Point
1st Dam: American Story (GSP,$189,200), by Ghostzapper
2nd Dam: Holiday Runner, by Meadowlake
3rd Dam: Dixie Holiday, by Dixieland Band
O/B-Kaleem Shah, Inc. (KY); T-Simon Callaghan; J-Flavien Prat. $87,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-1, $407,700. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”hillndale-foaled-raised”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]
2--Vertical Oak, 121, f, 3, Giant Oak–Vertical Vision, by Pollard's Vision. ($20,000 Ylg '15 FTKOCT). O- J. Kirk and Judy Robison; B-Millennium Farms (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $30,000.[bullet ad=”millennium-bred-sold”]
3–Noble Freud, 115, f, 3, Freud–Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder. ($30,000 Ylg '15 FTKOCT). O-Head of Plains Partners LLC, Xpress Thoroughbreds LLC., Kisber et al.; B-Eklektikos Stable LLC & Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (NY); T-Chad C. Brown. $15,000.[bullet ad=”xavier-private-purchase”]Margins: 4 3/4, NK, 5. Odds: 1.25, 1.80, 4.60.
Also Ran: Golden Mischief, Too Much Tip.
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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