Gal in a Rush seeks breakout victory Thursday at Belmont
At first glance, Gal in a Rush doesn’t seem like a prime win candidate in Belmont’s featured first-level allowance at six furlongs Thursday on the inner turf for fillies and mares.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Gal in a Rush failed to cross the wire on top in four starts last year, with her maiden victory coming via disqualification on Sept. 17 at Belmont. However, the rival who finished in front of her in that one-mile maiden special, Haughty, subsequently ran a close third behind Pizza Bianca in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar.
Gal in a Rush’s late-running style led to wide trips in her last two starts in the fall, in two six-furlong stakes on Belmont’s inner course, but she earned black type both times. She came from last to end up just a half-length back in second in the Grade 3 Matron in October, and then finished a lapped-on third after closing from ninth again in the Stewart Manor in November. The 10th horse from the Stewart Manor subsequently won a $100,000 stakes at Parx Racing.
During the past five years, Clement has won at a solid 24 percent rate with six-months-plus layoff runners in turf sprints, with a return on investment of $1.71. Gal in a Rush is picking up Lasix and last year’s Eclipse Award-winning rider, Joel Rosario, on Thursday, in a race in which she has ample speed to chase.
Stony Point could be the controlling speed after breaking from the outside under Dylan Davis, who rode Gal in a Rush last fall.
After landing her five-furlong debut at Tampa in March, Stony Point weakened to second after setting a quick pace in an April 15 allowance over six furlongs at Aqueduct. Shug McGaughey trains the well-bred 4-year-old by War Front.
Clement also entered the miler Anador, who is shortening up off a runner-up finish as the favorite in an April 21 allowance at Gulfstream. Six furlongs seems too short for the French import, but Clement has good numbers with turnbacks on turf. This is Anador’s second start with Lasix and her second run of the year.
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ac the Pee H Dee wired maiden-special rivals when cutting back from a route to six furlongs in her second start April 9 at Aqueduct, and the 3-year-old appears to have some upside.
Rounding out the fourth-race lineup are Abuse of Power, Poppy Flower, and Screamin’ By.
The fifth race completes the pick five, and the 125-pound highweight in the $20,000 starter handicap, Easy to Bless, could be vulnerable.
Easy to Bless fits the mold of an in-and-outer who has peaked and regressed in every second start since Feb. 4. Three weeks ago, she was a clear second in another seven-furlong sprint at this level, after a poor showing without Lasix in the Grade 3 Distaff. Her inside draw is a negative, and she might not be able to catch her archrival, Shesalittle Edgy, who’s coming off a decisive front-running win in an optional claimer.