Girl With a Dream Holds Off Radio Days in Forward Gal

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's Girl With a Dream  led gate to wire in the $100,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park, holding off 3-5 favorite Radio Days  and earning 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

The 3-year-old Practical Joke   filly went seven furlongs in 1:23.42 after posting splits of :22.85, :45.73, and 1:10.17 under Luis Saez. It was the third straight victory for Girl With a Dream, who took the 2021 Letellier Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots last out for Brad Cox.

"There just aren't a lot of graded stakes opportunities where we run, at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, so we had targeted this race after her last start," Cox said. "She was doing good and came out of her last race strong, so we shipped her over Tuesday. We thought we'd let her do her thing and go to the front and try and make them catch us, and it worked out great."

After quickly securing the advantage over six rivals, Girl With a Dream opened up by two lengths at the half-mile marker and was never headed. Although Radio Days put in a rally from the back of the pack after breaking slowly into stride, she could not close the gap in time and had to settle for second by a length. It was 6 1/4 lengths back to Last Leaf , who completed the trifecta.

Girl With a Dream was sent off at odds of 5-1 and returned $12.80 on a $2 win ticket.

"She broke from there pretty sharp. She went and she was pretty comfortable all the way," Saez said. "We came to the top of the stretch and I felt like I had a lot of horse. She kept battling, and she beat them. She felt pretty big in front. I felt like every step when the other filly came close to her, she responded more. I was pretty happy to be on top of her."

Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and D + J Racing Stable out of the Corinthian  mare Henley , Girl With a Dream was a $115,000 purchase by Green Spring Farm from Machmer Hall's consignment to the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She improved her record to four wins and a second from six starts, with earnings of $231,480.

Henley has produced three winners from four starters, and Girl With a Dream is her first black-type winner. The mare produced an unnamed 2-year-old Twirling Candy   filly, was barren last year, and was bred to Gift Box   for 2022.

Girl With a Dream won her debut at Ellis Park in July before finishing eighth in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course in September. She rebounded to finish second at Keeneland next time out before winning her last two starts of 2021 in allowance company at Churchill Downs and in black-type company at Fair Grounds.

"She was really impressive in her Ellis win and I liked her in the Spinaway, but she was inside and she didn't get away great and then didn't run her race," Cox said.

My Prankster Rallies to Swale Score

Earlier on the Saturday card, Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster  lived up to his even-money odds Saturday to defeat Dean Delivers  the $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale Stakes (G3) with a determined rally.

The 3-year-old Into Mischief   colt raced near the back of the field of six sophomores early under Luis Saez, but closed on the turn and into the stretch to take over in the seven-furlong event. He returned $4 on a $2 win ticket.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said My Prankster may not be a likely Road to the Kentucky Derby candidate, although he's keeping his options open.

 "We'll play it by ear," Pletcher said of future plans for the colt. "He gives me the impression that he's a one-turn horse, but we won't rule anything out yet."

After angling over from post 1 to an outside tracking position, My Prankster was fifth off the pace set by second choice In Dreams , who was chased by Dean Delivers and Mr. Bouma  through a quarter in :22.36 and a half in :44.87. Set down for a sustained rally past rivals heading into the far turn, My Prankster circled four wide and drew on even terms with Dean Delivers, who made a bid to take over as the frontrunner faded through three-quarters in 1:09.80.

"We were concerned about the '1' draw. It cost him a little position early and you could see when he was getting dirt in his face, he wasn't liking it. He was climbing the first eighth of a mile," Pletcher said. "Luis was able to get him out in the clear. The key part of the race, in the middle of the turn, he put in a big run to catch up."

"He got a good break today," Saez said. "We knew they had a lot of speed in the race so the plan was to get him in the clear and go from there... he always tries, he tried pretty hard today and he got the job done so it was a good race for him."

Dean Delivers dug deep but My Prankster had the momentum and carried on to win with a final time of 1:23.13 on a fast track. Of a Revolution , 2 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up, completed the trifecta.

"Luis said he got there a little sooner than he wanted and he idled a little when he made the lead, but it was another professional effort. He's a nice horse," Pletcher said.

The win marked the first stakes score for My Prankster, who was fourth in the 2021 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and second in the Bowman Mill Stakes last year at Keeneland. Pletcher sent the colt to his season debut Saturday off a confidence-boosting allowance optional claiming score going six furlongs Dec. 10 at Gulfstream.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, My Prankster is out of the Flower Alley  mare My Wandy's Girl , a grade 2 winner in the mainland United States and a multiple grade 1 winner in Puerto Rico, where she was named champion imported 3-year-old filly in Puerto Rico in 2012. My Prankster is the first graded stakes winner for his dam, whose two starters have both been winners. The mare has a 2-year-old Curlin   colt named Nielson and aborted in 2021. She was bred to Tapit   for 2022.

My Prankster was a $600,000 purchase by his connections from Summerfield's consignment to the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. He improved his record to three wins and a second from five starts, with earnings of $208,780.

Video: Claiborne Farm Swale S. (G3)