Awesome Spirit Gal returns from layoff on Tapeta
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Roger Attfield’s three starters at Gulfstream Park’s winter meet were returning from layoffs of between 63 and 98 days. Two of the three fired big, with Ready for Shirl winning a second-level allowance at odds of 5-2 and Mount Horeb running second, beaten a length, at odds of 8-1.
Thursday, Awesome Spirit Gal makes her first start off a 96-day layoff for Attfield in a first-level allowance/optional $25,000 claiming race going 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta that serves as the feature on Gulfstream’s nine-race card.
This will be Awesome Spirit Gal’s first start since she finished fourth in a second-level allowance/optional $50,000 claimer on Nov. 14 at Woodbine. That was Awesome Spirit Gal’s first start for Attfield and first over a synthetic surface. In that race, Awesome Spirit Gal, under David Moran, found herself behind and between horses in a race with a dawdling pace. In upper stretch, Moran had to steady Awesome Spirit Gal and when he found running room late, Awesome Spirit Gal showed late interest getting beat 1 3/4 lengths by Literate.
Prior to that race, Awesome Spirit Gal was a front-running, 13 3/4-length winner of a mile and 70-yard allowance run over a sloppy dirt track at Fort Erie. Because she had run so well on dirt, albeit against a suspect field, Attfield had entered her several times at Gulfstream for the dirt, but the races failed to fill. Attfield also said he would have preferred to bring her back at a distance shorter than 1 1/8 miles.
“I’m not sure that’s the ideal distance for her. I need to run her,” Attfield said. “She’s been training quite well at Payson Park.”
In her allowance win at Fort Erie, Awesome Spirit Gal went gate to wire. That front-running style may come in handy Thursday in a field seemingly void of speed.
“I’d say she’ll be fairly close to the pace,” Attfield said. “When I ran her at Woodbine, she got stopped quite badly, otherwise I think she would have been right there. I’m going to be interested to run her and see what she shows me.”
Luis Saez has the call on Awesome Spirit Gal.
Aspen Dawn, trained by Mark Casse, and Shade of Pale, trained by Chad Brown, figure to take the most money. Aspen Dawn worked out a ground-saving trip from her outside draw in a 1 3/8-mile allowance on the turf in which she finished fourth Jan. 10. Shade of Pale came off a three-month layoff at Tampa Bay Downs and finished a non-threatening sixth as the 3-5 favorite.
Le Beau’s lone win from 13 starts came in a maiden race over Gulfstream’s Tapeta track.
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