The Queens M G Chasing KY Oaks Points in Forward Gal

The Queens M G  faces a field of 10 sophomore fillies in the $165,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park. The lone graded stakes winner in the field looks to return to her winning ways.

The seven-furlong Forward Gal is the first of Gulfstream's prep races for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1). The race offers Road to the Kentucky Oaks points to the top five finishers on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2.

The Queens M G was most recently third in the Nov. 2 Tempted Stakes behind the Brad Cox-trained Stunner , who she will face again Saturday. The daughter of Thousand Words   ran four-wide into the stretch and kept on, but could not catch the winner.

"She's a very accomplished filly," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. "She had a hard campaign as a 2-year-old and we gave her a break with this in mind. She's coming into the race with some good works. She's not a big filly so you wouldn't think she should need that much, but you would think she should come up with a run."

The Queens M G will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for owners C2 Racing Stable and Mathis Stable. Joseph, Ortiz, and C2 Racing Stable are coming off a big weekend with the connections' White Abarrio  taking the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 25.

Joseph also sends out Rojo Rita , a filly by Volatile  , who won a maiden special weight at first asking by 16 1/4 lengths Nov. 15 at Gulfstream.

"The allowance races haven't gone for her and she needs to run. We're going to run her in this race," Joseph said of the step up to graded stakes company in just her second start. "We worked her back from the gate because we knew this was going to be a possibility that she'd have to face graded stakes horses after just one run. It's a tall task but she's a very talented filly. That's why we're doing it."

They will have to tackle a second Cox trainee in Eclatant , a Stonestreet Stables homebred Into Mischief   filly who was most recently seen finishing third to her stablemate Good Cheer  in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 30.

My Denysse , winner of the FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes at Gulfstream Nov. 30 enters Saturday's race in good form, for owner, breeder, and trainer Ruben Sierra and his Just For Fun Stable. My Denysse narrowly defeated Stunner in the My Dear Girl to secure her first stakes win. The Florida-bred filly by Neolithic   is out of the multiple stakes-producing mare Sophia's Pride .

NEWMAN: BH Interview: Ruben Sierra, Breeder of My Denysse