I Got a Gal, Queen of Thorns give Eurton much to look forward to
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Peter Eurton is off to a fast start at Santa Anita, with three wins in the first five days of racing, including impressive maiden winners I Got a Gal and Queen of Thorns. Both could make a splash in the 3-year-old filly division this winter.
I Got a Gal scored an improbable upset Dec. 27 in a turf mile, and Eurton was not exaggerating in his description: “She stumbled to her nose, grabbed her quarter off, first-time long on grass, gets to the backside, and just flies by everybody. It was amazing.”
No fooling. I Got a Gal, last of 10 after breaking slowly, uncorked an eye-catching move into the backside, passed the rest of the field the second quarter-mile, and kept running. She won by a three-quarters of a length in her first start on turf. Eurton will keep her on grass and shorten her to 6 1/2 furlongs on the hill in the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Feb. 12.
Queen of Thorns started at odds-on under Flavien Prat when she made her debut Jan. 1, winning the dirt sprint by eight lengths in a performance more impressive than her 73 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I think she’ll go two turns, and Prat does, too,” Eurton said.
Eurton said Queen of Thorns will be nominated to the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes, a mile dirt race on Feb. 6.
Eurton first’s 10 Santa Anita starters produced 3 wins, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds. He starts longshot second-time starter Indy’s Star – a maiden filly – Friday in race 8.