By Christie DeBernardis
John Oxley's Pretty City Dancer (Tapit), a dead-heat winner of the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga when last seen Sept. 3, makes her sophomore bow in a competitive renewal of Gulfstream's GII Forward Gal S. Saturday. A second-out graduate at Churchill May 27, the Mark Casse pupil captured that venue's Debutante S. July 2 and hit the line in perfect sync with Sweet Loretta (Tapit), while 5 3/4 lengths clear of the rest of the field, in the Spinaway. Casse also saddles Old Hat S. third-place finisher Summer Luck (Lookin at Lucky) for Gary Barber in this test.
“A couple breezes after her [Spinaway] win she came back the next morning and was a touch off,” Casse said on morning-line favorite Pretty City Dancer. “We went through a series of X-rays and we couldn't ever really pinpoint anything but she missed enough time that we felt like she wasn't going to be her best for the Breeders' Cup. On the side of caution we took her home which we often do and gave her a little break and now she's back we feel better than ever.”
The conditioner also told the Gulfstream media team, “We're excited about her. I think Norm and I both agree that she's training better than I've ever seen her train.”
The biggest threat to the chalk is likely to come from St Elias Stable's Bode's Dream (Bodemeister). A debut winner here May 11, the gray captured Belmont's Astoria S. June 9 and returned from a six-month layoff to take this venue's House Party S. Dec. 10. The Todd Pletcher trainee did all the early running in the Jan. 7 Old Hat, but was run down late by Wildcat Kate (Kantharos) to finish a neck second.
Trainer John Servis captured last year's renewal of this race with eventual GI Kentucky Oaks victress and “TDN Rising Star” Cathryn Sophia (Street Boss) and returns to Gulfstream with a live shot at a repeat victory with Ms Locust Point (Dialed In). Earning her diploma at second asking at Parx Nov. 27, the chestnut enters this test off a decisive victory in the Dec. 31 Gin Talking S. at Laurel, just like Cathryn Sophia did in 2016.
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