Dancinginherdreams and R Heat Lightning had attracted all the pre-race
publicity coming into Sunday's $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream
Park, but Pomeroys Pistol had a race over the track. That factor likely
provided just enough of an advantage for Pomeroys Pistol to register a
surprising three-quarter-length victory over the previously undefeated
Dancinginherdreams with Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up R Heat
Lightning finishing another 3 1/2 lengths farther back in the Grade 2
sprint for 3-year-old fillies.
Pomeroys Pistol, a homebred daughter of Pomeroy owned by trainer Amy
Tarrant's Hardacre Farm LLC, had finished a game second here on opening
day in the Grade 3 Old Hat. That made her the only member of the Forward
Gal field to have had a race over the track and the only one aside from
Devilish Lady to have run at all at 3.
Pomeroys Pistol was eased up inside Third Chance and Devilish Lady by
jockey Paco Lopez to contest the pace from the outset of the seven-
furlong Forward Gal. Pomeroys Pistol was able to discourage her early
competition and drew well clear once settling into the stretch, then
held off Danginginherdreams's belated rally while drifting out near the
middle of the track approaching the wire.
Dancinginherdreams, allowed to settle at the rear of the pack in the run
down the backstretch, was angled out extremely wide by jockey Julien
Leparoux leaving the final turn, then finished resolutely once
straightened away only to run out of ground. The loss was her first in
three career starts.
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