Watsdachances Breaks Through in Gallorette
Image:
Description:
After hitting the board but missing out on victory in her last 10 graded stakes tries, Watsdachances broke through in the $150,000 Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT) May 16 at Pimlico Race Course .
The 5-year-old mare trailed in seventh most of the race, then accelerated in the lane under jockey Javier Castellano to win the 1 1/16-mile race, a length ahead of Emotional Kitten. Sistas Stroll was 1 1/4 lengths back in third.
The daughter of Diamond Green trained by Chad Brown was seven lengths off the pace set by Oscar Party through a first quarter-mile in :23.69 and remained in that position when Token of Love took over to run the half in :47.42 and six furlongs in 1:11.34. The winner advanced into fourth in the stretch, then rallied past Emotional Kitten to hit the wire in 1:40.79 on a turf course rated firm.
"She put me in a good spot in the race," Castellano said. "I didn't want to be too far back or too close to the pace. I think I put her in a good spot in the middle to give me a good run and she did."
Bred in Ireland by P. G. Lyons from the Entrepreneur mare High Finance, Watsdachances has a 5-4-3 record from 16 starts and has $707,082 in earnings. She is campaigned by Michael Kisber, Bradley Thoroughbreds, and Nelson McMakin and also has a victory in the 2012 Miss Grillo Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park on her résumé.
Favored at 2-1, the winner paid $6.80, $3.80, and $3 across the board. Emotional Kitten returned $6 and $4.20, while Sistas Stroll delivered $4.80 to show.
Bocaiuva was fourth, followed by Fasnacloich, Token of Love, Mango Diva, Run of the River, Cat's Claw, Oscar Party, and Pagan Priestess, to complete the order of finish. Morning-line favorite Hard Not to Like and Joy were scratched.