Kaleem Shah's American Gal (Concord Point) received an A+ from track announcer Larry Collmus as she sailed under the wire an authoritative victoress in the GI Longines Test S. Saturday at Saratoga. The filly, third in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, is now two-for-two under the care of trainer Simon Callaghan.
“We knew she was sitting on a big performance,” Callaghan said. “She came into this race so good after her last race and for once the race went perfectly to plan. She got a great tip and she dominated today.”
American Gal was made a narrow second choice to former Bob Baffert stablemate Faypien (Ghostzapper) and was off well from the outside stall. She was four wide chasing the pace of Chalon (Dialed In) through sharp splits of :22.42 and :44.53. Carried even wider off the turn, she nonetheless wore down the pace players by the eighth pole despite drifting out, and kicked clear easily once straightened to score by four lengths.
American Gal, a debut winner at Del Mar last August for trainer Bob Baffert, romped home a 6 1/2-length winner of the Anoakia S. at Santa Anita Oct. 23 before suffering her first loss when third after a wide trip in the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She concluded her juvenile campaign, and her time with Baffert, with a runner-up effort behind sophomore divisional filly leader Abel Tasman (Quality Road), then trained by Callaghan and now trained by Baffert, in the Dec. 10 GI Starlet S. American Gal resurfaced in the Callaghan barn with a front-running 4 3/4-length victory in her return to sprinting in the 6 1/2-furlong GIII Victory Ride S. July 9.
“I think cutting her back to seven-eighths is her optimal distance,” Callaghan said. “We'll take her back to California and think about the Breeders' Cup and which way to go. I have to think seven-eighths is such a good distance for her. A mile, she's still very good, but at the back of my mind, seven-eighths is where she's going to be spectacular.”
Pedigree Notes:
Kaleem Shah purchased American Gal's dam American Story (Ghostzapper) for $400,000 at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale. The half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Seventh Street (Street Cry {Ire}) and Group 1 winner Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown) was second in the 2011 GII Milady H. before RNA'ing for $295,000 at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
American Story produced a filly by Concord Point (Tapit) in 2016 and a filly by Shah's GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern (Offlee Wild) in 2017. She was bred back to Tapit this year.
Concord Point won the 2010 GII West Virginia Derby and GIII Iowa Derby in Shah's colors. American Gal is the first graded winner from four crops to race for the stallion.
Saturday, Saratoga
LONGINES TEST S.-GI, $500,000, SAR, 8-5, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.26, ft.
1–&AMERICAN GAL, 118, f, 3, by Concord Point
1st Dam: American Story (GSP, $189,200), by Ghostzapper
2nd Dam: Holiday Runner, by Meadowlake
3rd Dam: Dixie Holiday, by Dixieland Band
O/B-Kaleem Shah, Inc. (KY); T-Simon Callaghan; J-Jose L. Ortiz.
$300,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-1, $707,700. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”hillndale-foaled-raised”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Faypien, 120, f, 3, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Mighty Eros, by Freud
2nd Dam: Mighty Emy, by Mighty Adversary
3rd Dam: Honey League Girl, by Honey Jay
($720,000 2yo '16 OBSAPR). O-Baoma Corporation; B-Off The
Hook LLC (FL); T-Bob Baffert. $100,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”]3–Tequilita, 120, f, 3, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Sangrita, by Mr. Greeley
2nd Dam: Alvear, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: Andover Way, by His Majesty
O/B-Dorothy Alexander Matz (KY); T-Michael R. Matz. $50,000.[bullet ad=”bradshaw-randy-shell”]
Margins: 4, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 2.15, 2.15, 10.60.
Also Ran: Chalon, Vertical Oak, Your Love, Divine Miss Grey, Chanel's Legacy, Minnie Blip, Cursor. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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