Three-year-old fillies diary

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY
DIARY

MARCH 9, 2005

by Hunter T. Houlihan

This past weekend’s
three-year-old filly races left some of the top contenders reeling after
being sent off at short odds and finishing up the track. As stated in the
last installment, MADDALENA (Good and Tough) could have distance limitations
and the chestnut proved vulnerable in Saturday’s seven-furlong Forward Gal
S. (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Sent off at 3-5, the Todd Pletcher trainee
finished fifth, beaten 8 1/2 lengths while suffering her first career defeat
from four starts. LETGOMYECHO (Menifee) recorded a career-best BRIS Speed
rating of 101 in taking the Forward Gal, keeping her record perfect at
three-for-three and vaulting herself into Kentucky Oaks (G1) contention.

Also on the Fountain of Youth
S. (G2) undercard was the Bonnie Miss S. (G2), a dirt contest run at the
nine-furlong Oaks distance. JILL ROBIN L (Precocity) surprised the betting
public when nipping post-time favorite IN THE GOLD (Golden Missile) by a
nose at the wire after rating kindly off fast fractions and rallying in the
stretch past the tiring frontrunners under the experienced Jerry Bailey. The
bay also was third behind In the Gold and SIS CITY (Slew City Slew) in the
Davona Dale S. (G2), which the latter won by an impressive 16 lengths.

In the Gold put in the
hardest-fought performance of the weekend when hung four wide on the first
turn and three wide coming home in the Bonnie Miss. The Nick Zito trainee
managed to re-rally in mid-stretch but didn’t have enough in the tank to
hold on for the win, just getting caught at the line. We’ll be waiting to
see where the chestnut appears next.

Divisional leader SWEET
CATOMINE (Storm Cat) has recorded two impressive works over the Santa Anita
dirt in the last two weeks, drilling five furlongs in :59 3/5 on February 26
and getting three-quarters of a mile in a rapid 1:12 3/5 on March 3. The bay
is pointed toward this Sunday’s Santa Anita Oaks (G1).

A leading three-year-old
filly expected to make her 2005 bow this weekend is RUNWAY MODEL
(Petionville) in the Fair
Grounds Oaks (G2) on the Louisiana Derby (G2) undercard.