The Gallorette Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
PIM- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
May 20, 2017

Among the races on the PRK undercard will be the 13th running of the Gallorette Stakes, which is an event for female turf stars running just a bit over a mile.   It’s smaller purse and overall status set this up as an opportunity for a filly to win their first graded stake, as five of the six in this field have never won a graded race.  Will one of them take their first, or will the experienced BC runner spoil that dream?  Several of these are very good horses who have been on the cusp of that big win, which makes this an interesting race to see who will take the next step forward in their career.  Let’s meet this field!

#1- Validation (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by E S Prado)- This filly has seen some high price tags surround her when she was very young, including an $87.770 private sale from Night Mare Racing to Team 7 Illusions, who was interestingly her initial breeder.  Team 7 clearly wanted her back, and did what was necessary.  In six races, Validation has always been able to get in the top three, and has won half of her career starts.  She has been brought along gradually by the trainer, and she comes off a win in the $100.000 Campanile for CA-breds against three others.  As she goes against fillies of a similar talent level, I like her consistent nature and think she will have a great chance to pick up the win here.  Carries five less pounds then everyone except General Belle, and carries two less then that one.  Seems a clear second here as much as General Belle seems a clear favorite, though maybe she can reverse that!

#2- Wisconsin Laff (Blushing Meadows, ridden by D Moran)- Makes her 17th career start and also sports an impressive level of consistency with 13 finishes on the board thus far in her career.  However, she tends to finish second a little more often.  Last year saw six runner up finishes, including a couple ungraded stake tries and even a graded event early in the year.  Another close call was had last month, finishing second by less then a length.  While she’s good for the exacta, she is still not yet a stake winner, and perhaps it is a little frustrating that she cannot just take that next step and win a stake.

#3- Lady Lucy (Crocker Ggs, ridden by F Pennington)- The Charley Harley filly has won two of her nine career races thus far, with the best score being a longer turf race at SA in February.  In that, she came from behind to pick up the win pretty impressively, and this seems to be when she is at her best.  Her distance is cut here from where it had been over the last three races, so not sure if this will mean the same tactical strategy or not.  She is still rather untested at this level, with only one stake try to date, the Grade 3 Very One at GP, and she was not a factor in that race.

#4- General Belle (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- It is the General with the medals of victory on her chest.  While the others in there look for their first graded victory, General Belle has been a regular in races like this, and was even able to participate in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall, where she finished in the middle of the field.  A win in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo is what sent her to that race, and she also had a nice third place score in the Schuylerville at SAR as a two year old.  She’s on a mission this year, and has won two out of her three battles thus far, taking the $100.000 Grade 3 Sweetest Chant in February and then Grade 3 FL Oaks a month later.  In total, this gives her five wins in ten career starts.  Oh, and by the way, she is carrying three less pounds then everyone not named Validation. When looking at past performances alone, she is the filly to beat in here, no one has the resume that she has coming in to the race.  She’s the favorite, but she still needs to show up to her best ability and run the race.

#5- Frozen Echo (Night Mare Racing, ridden by An Cruz)- Speaking of consistency with the others, you can’t do much better then Frozen Echo’s record of 13 finishes in the top three in 14 career starts.  Although, like Wisconsin Laff, there’s a trend to run second as opposed to win.  However, things may be changing with her as she has won two of three, both of which were LA-bred stakes. In February it was the LAPN Distaff on the main track, and then a month later, she won the $60.000 Red Camelia on the grass.  That was her only turf race to this point, but it was a good looking performance that will need to be repeated here.

#6- Dawl And Bath (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by R Bejarano)- Made her turf debut in her last start (excluding her debut race, a short turf race at MNR), and it produced the highest SRF that she has had in her career, a second place showing at TAM in the Turf Distaff.   She’s run at the stake level a few times, and even in a couple graded events, but has never been able to pick up a win in one of them, and that also makes the showing in the Turf Distaff all the more attractive. I’m not sure if she can top General Belle or Validation but third is up for grabs.

Prediction: 4-1-2-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES