R Harper Rose resumed sprinting—and winning—with a cutback from 1 1/16 miles to race seven furlongs Feb. 3 in the $145,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Victorious in her initial three starts, including by four lengths in the seven-furlong FTBOA Florida Sire Susan’s Girl Stakes Oct. 21, R Harper Rose entered the Forward Gal following the first loss of her career when second in the 1 1/16-mile FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes Dec. 2. That day, she flashed her customary speed but proved unable to carry it around two turns, fading to finish 2 3/4 lengths behind Honey Dijon .
She did not go to the lead Saturday but was never far off the pace, pressing leader Fiona’s Magic through splits of :22.63 and :45.90. Taking over from that rival leaving the second turn, she gradually pulled away while drifting out several paths off the fence. Following a six-furlong fraction in 1:10.86, she hit the wire two lengths in front of Fiona’s Magic with seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:24.34. She paid $6.40 to win.
Chi Chi rallied inside of favored Scalable to grab third. Nikitis and graded stakes winner Witwatersrand , who faltered with a shift from synthetic to dirt racing, completed the six-horse order of finish.
Winning jockey Edgard Zayas said he rode R Harper Rose patiently with the advantage of being drawn outside the other speed in the race. “She could have been on the lead if I let her go,” he said.
In capturing the Forward Gal, R Harper Rose earned 20 qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, but the two-turn, 1 1/8-mile Oaks is farther than she wants to run.
“Six or seven furlongs will probably be her best distance; she’s gonna be a great sprinter,” said Zayas, aboard in all five of her starts.
“This is it for her, one turn,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. added. “We’re not going to experiment. Last time things didn’t go right but we’re going to keep her to one turn. There’s a lot of races for her at one turn.”
The second through fifth finishers also earned Kentucky Oaks points on a 10-6-4-2 basis.
Facts And Figures
- The winner earned $86,725 Saturday to elevate her bankroll to $344,025 for owners Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing.
- R Harper Rose is a 3-year-old daughter of Khozan out of the Yes It’s True mare True Bliss . She is her dam’s first stakes winner.
- Joseph won his second Forward Gal after initial success in 2020 with Tonalist’s Shape .
- Florida’s leading sire in 2023 and to date in 2024, Khozan stands for a $6,500 fee at Journeyman Stallions near Ocala, Fla.
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Frankie’s Empire Circles Field to Take Swale
A race before the Forward Gal, Frankie’s Empire proved much the best in the $125,000 Swale Stakes over the same seven-furlong trip, swooping past the leaders with a five-wide advance on the turn and pulling clear for a 3 1/2-length upset victory.
The 3-year-old son of Classic Empire out of the Dixie Union mare Donna D was timed in 1:24.22 under Miguel Vasquez. Previously raced in the Midlantic region, where he won three prior races, Frankie’s Empire returned $30 to win. He scored his first black-type victory in his fourth stakes attempt.
Le Dom Bro finished second under Irad Ortiz Jr., followed by Grand Mo the First in third.
Michael Yates trains the Ralph Kinder and Erv Woolsey-bred Frankie’s Empire for owner Frank DeLuca.
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