Social Queen outkicks Gallorette foes

BALTIMORE Social Queen ended a five-race losing streak in startling fashion on Saturday, storming down the center of the course to nail All Is Vanity in the final strides to take the Grade 3, $100,000 Gallorette Handicap for female turf runners at Pimlico.

Social Queen ($20.20) was able to rally into the teeth of a slow fractions, a pace that proved the undoing of the 4-5 favorite, Dynaforce. Under Rafael Bejarano, Social Queen rallied from last in the seven-horse field and prevailed by a head. Tejida was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third.

Dynaforce, making her first start since the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, finished fifth.

Social Queen completed 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:41.84, a sharp time considering that Viva La Flag, the leader, carved out slow fractions of 48.48 seconds for a half-mile and 1:12.24 for the first six furlongs.

"She broke slow from the rail, and I just wanted to get her to relax," Bejarano said. "I stayed on the rail and saved ground. I didn't want to lose too much ground. I knew she was going to finish well, because I still had a lot of horse left at the three-eighths. She put her head down right on the wire."

Social Queen, 5, had finished third in the Beaugay Stakes at Belmont two weeks earlier. She has now won six times in 17 starts. Alan Goldberg trains Social Queen, a daughter of Dynaformer, for Richard Santulli.

Dynaforce could not keep up when the pace quickened after six furlongs.

"She's a mile-and-a-half, mile-and-a-quarter horse," said her jockey, Garrett Gomez. "She got out-quickened. She galloped out in front of everybody."