Halina's Forte tops four-horse field for off-turf Galway
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The complexion of the $150,000 Galway Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course completely changed when it, like so many other turf stakes this weekend, was impacted by the north-moving remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. The off-the-turf edition of the Galway now appears likely to go with a short field of four, topped by dirt stakes winner Halina's Forte.
The rain in Saratoga overnight Thursday and through Friday that caused the cancellation of Friday's card and pushed two Grade 1 turf stakes to the Sunday program caused the New York Racing Association to announce on Saturday morning that the Galway, a sprint for 3-year-old fillies, would be taken off the turf and run on the main track, which seems virtually certain to be some degree of muddy.
The scratches from the original main field of nine fillies included Godolphin's Star of Mystery, the heavy morning-line favorite after multiple graded/group stakes victories against males this year. Others scratched included graded stakes winner Pipsy, along with Greavette, Ever So Sweet, El Terreno, Kairyu, Amist Waves, and main-track-only entrants Sunday Girl and She's Always Rosie.
Of the fillies entered in the Galway with main-track-only status who still intend to run, coming to the forefront is Halina's Forte. The filly, whose biggest win came in the Ruthless Stakes in January at Aqueduct, was most recently third in the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 4. She was flattered when the winner of that event, Emery, was second in the Grade 1 Test here on Aug. 3.
Halina's Forte was fourth when racing on a sloppy, sealed track in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in May at Churchill Downs. However, trainer Phil Bauer indicated that there were other factors at play that day, and the track surface might not have been entirely to blame.
"I'm not sure if she disliked [the wet track] so much, or if she was too close [to the pace]," Bauer told track publicity. "I was pretty proud of her effort, and it was a pretty good race overall. I don't think she got a whole lot out of the Ashland [when stretching out in her prior start], so maybe she came up a hair short to finish top three there."
Irad Ortiz Jr., who was originally scheduled to ride Pipsy, has the call on Halina's Forte.
Ruthless third-place finisher Value Area is coming off a win in an off-the-turf allowance/optional-claiming race on July 17 at Saratoga; she picks up John Velazquez as a main-track starter for Todd Pletcher.
Linda Rice proved prescient by entering Film Star as a main-track-only entrant for the Lure Stakes last weekend; when that event came off the turf, he cruised to the win. Rice again appears clairvoyant as she entered Golden Degree, with strong main-track experience, into the main body of this field. The filly is coming off back-to-back wins, although against much weaker competition. Those include a runaway maiden claiming victory on a wet track at Aqueduct.
Baraye, trained by Wesley Ward, is coming off a win in an off-the-turf allowance/optional-claiming race on a sloppy Churchill Downs track in May.
Golden Degree, from the rail and Baraye have done their best running on or near the lead – meaning the pace for the Galway could be a swift one. With a small field, Ortiz and Velazquez are unlikely to let those two get away too much early.
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