Power Gal Proves a Winner in Martha Washington
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Photo: Coady Photography
Power Gal pulls away to win the Martha Washington Stakes by a half-length at Oaklawn Park
With 10 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on the line, Gary Barber's Power Gal took the stalk-and-pounce route Feb. 2 and proved to be a power player with her first stakes win in the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Away well from the gate in her first start of 2019, Power Gal settled easily in midpack of the seven-horse field and set herself up for the perfect stalking trip as Marathon Queen skimmed the rail straight to the front for the early lead.
On the leader's outside, Taylor's Spirit proved a tough rival from the outset, dueling with Marathon Queen through the first half-mile before she was finally able to eke out a slim head margin as they hit six furlongs in 1:14.32.
Surging four wide on the outside, Sheza Handfull made a brief challenge for the lead but could not maintain her pace and faded fast as Marathon Queen moved back into second at the top of the stretch.
Gaining ground to make a four-wide bid at the quarter pole, Power Gal responded well under slight urging from jockey David Cohen and shifted into third.
Wedged between Marathon Queen and Power Gal, Taylor's Spirit tried to cut a path between the fillies as they approached the wire three abreast but was edged at the finish as Power Gal pulled away under a short drive and hit the wire a half-length in front.
Marathon Queen finished second, a neck ahead of Taylor's Spirit in third. Sunset Wish, Crafty's Dream, Sheza Handfull, and Arch Avenue completed the order of finish. Final time for the one-mile test was 1:39.82 over a track rated fast.
"She's a filly we liked a lot," trainer Mark Casse said via phone. "Early on in the year, she had a few little nagging injuries. Took her to New York, she won in New York, and I thought her last race was sneakingly good. We shipped her to Oaklawn because there's such a great 3-year-old series, filly and colt series. That's one of the reasons she's there."
The Martha Washington marked the first win for Power Gal since breaking her maiden Nov. 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack. She closed her freshman season with a third in a Dec. 22 optional-claiming allowance race at the same track before shipping to Oaklawn in mid-January.
Bred in Japan by Paca Paca Farm out of the High Yield mare Nan, the 3-year-old daughter of Empire Maker has two wins and two thirds, with earnings of $126,370.