Gulfstream Park track photographer Ryan Thompson way up on the tote board for a bird’s eye view. (Coglianese Photo)
Gulfstream Park News & Notes
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Howling Pigeon Farms and High Schticking Thoroughbreds’ Grade A, a dominant maiden winner against Florida-breds last time out, faces open company for the first time in her stakes debut, the $215,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on the Gulfstream Park turf course.
It will be the second straight try on grass for Grade A, whose sire, Army Mule, was undefeated in his only three starts, all on dirt, including the 2018 Carter (G1). Grade A will be making her fifth start of the Championship Meet, beginning her career on the main track in November before finishing second in back-to-back sprints on the all-weather Tapeta course.
“We started her out sprinting and she always breezed really good on the dirt. When we started, I thought she was kind of a decent filly. We ran her on the dirt first time out and she kind of disappointed me, so we switched her to the Tapeta. We sprinted her, and she ran a huge race first time,” trainer Jerry O’Dwyer said.
“I always felt she wanted to go long but because she ran so good first time I said we’ll give her another go sprinting. Again, she ran another good race,” he added. “It was time to stretch her out and we found an opportunity on the turf going the mile. She jumped out on the front end and just went around there and won fairly easy.”
Grade A set the pace along the rail in the Feb. 6 maiden special weight, drew off approaching the quarter pole and held clear while under a drive from Irish jockey David Egan, who has returned to Europe after winning 18 races and $707,450 in purse earnings at the Championship Meet.
“We’re taking a shot. She came out of her last race really well. She looks fantastic, so why not? She has experience. She has four races under her belt, so she’s hardened up now. We’ll see how it goes,” O’Dwyer said. “I do think she’s a nice filly and she stepped forward last time.
“We’re going to run her in the Herecomesthebride just because of how she came out of the race, and the timing,” he added. “I would have liked to go in an a-other-than Florida-bred, but it’s out there, it’s a Grade 3. There’s plenty of fillies in there, too, that have just broken their maiden. There are some nice ones in there that are multiple winners, as well.”
