Cathryn Sophia Proves Class in Forward Gal

A slow start threw her off her usual front-running game, but Cash is King's talented Cathryn Sophia didn't falter in the $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 30 at Gulfstream Park.

Making her graded stakes debut and running in South Florida for the first time, the filly who won her first two races by 29 combined lengths added 5 1/2 more to her resume when she rallied to air by daylight in the seven-furlong test.

"After the break I just said to myself, 'Well, we're going to see what kind of diversity she has,'" said trainer John Servis. "She settled nice and when (jockey) Joel (Rosaraio) asked her, she went about her business."

Cathryn Sophia earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with her score, and will be pointed to the Feb. 27 Davona Dale (gr. II) going a mile to "stretch out a little farther," as Servis put it.

Island Saint took the lead for the early running of the Forward Gal, and set opening fractions of :22.71 and :45.54 while followed closely by Ballet Diva and Rontos Lily. Rosario allowed Cathryn Sophia to gradually make up ground from fourth on the inside, then shifted the 1-10 favorite out through three quarters in 1:09.89. 

"She's a nice filly," the jockey said. "I thought she was going to be fast out of the gate and she actually took a little bit of time. When we got to the top of the stretch she had a beautiful stride and it was all her after that. She was game the whole way. It was very impressive."

Cathryn Sophia, who was making her 3-year-old season debut, lengthened that stride down the stretch, and despite drifting out slightly when switching from her right lead to the wrong one, finished well clear under a hand ride several paths from the rail to win in her first graded stakes try.

"She actaully swiched to her right lead when she was supposed to, and then switched back late," Servis explained.

Final time was 1:22.04 on a fast track. Island Saint, Ballet Diva, Rontos Lily, Conquest Babayaga, and Disco Rose completed the order of finish. Dad's Kiddo scratched.

"I told Joel, 'Now that she's won, I can say I'm glad it happened, because we got to see a different side of her," Servis said. "She'll probably break a lot sharper next time. She hadn't run for a couple months and I hadn't gotten her back to the gate. She's got a great mind. I think now that she broke again and has figured out what she's supposed to be doing, she'll leave there running next time and be pretty close, pretty easy."

Cathryn Sophia returned $2.20, $2.10, and $2.10, Island Saint brought $3 and $2.10, and Ballet Diva brought $3.80. Points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks were awarded to the top four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

Bred in Maryland by Robert T. Manfuso out of the Mineshaft mare Sheave, Cathryn Sophia was a $30,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic eastern fall yearling sale when purchased by Cash is King owner Chuck Zachney from the Chanceland Farm consignment. She captured her six-furlong debut by 12 3/4 front-running lengths at Parx Racing Oct. 30, and came back Dec. 5 to take the $100,000 Gin Talking Stakes at Laurel Park by 16 1/4 lengths. She now has a 3-for-3 record, with earnings of $212,760.

"Actually, believe it or not, I was more impressed with this race than I was with the first two," Servis said. "She beat a decent field of horses today and the way she did it today, she did it like a good filly."