Dorothy Matz's homebred Tequilita (Union Rags) earned her first graded stakes success with a hard-fought score over favored Pretty City Dancer (Tapit) in the GII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. It was the bay's third consecutive win, having previously captured the six-furlong Smart Halo S. at Laurel Park Nov. 19.
Trainer Michael Matz, who also conditioned Tequilita's dam, Sangrita (Mr. Greeley), for his wife, Dorothy, said the win was made more special because of his involvement with both Sangrita and sire Union Rags–who he conditioned to GI Belmont S. glory.
“It's great,” Matz said. “You know the family and we've sort of figured out her running style and where she wants to break. For a while, she was showing too much speed and now I think we went from a mile to six and back to seven, if we want her to go longer we can get her to sit still and still make a nice run. I think she's still figuring out what she's supposed to do.”
Tequilita endured a pair of hard-luck second place finishes in her first three starts, but broke through with an authoritative tally adding Lasix in a seven-furlong maiden event at Keeneland Oct. 22. She shipped back to her trainer's Fair Hill base following that effort and traveled down the road to annex the Smart Halo in rallying fashion. Sent to Florida for the winter, she posted a steady series of works at Palm Meadows leading up to this sophomore debut–including a pair of bullets in January–and was overlooked a bit in the wagering Saturday.
Away without incident, Tequilita saved ground in fourth behind fractions of :22.53 and :45.45 and shifted out to move closer on the far turn. Taking control in the stretch as pace-setting Miss Locust Point tired, the filly braced for a challenge from Pretty City Dancer to her outside in midstretch. Kept under brisk encouragement in the final furlong, she dug in and found more to cross the wire first.
“We had a good trip,” said winning rider Luis Saez. “When we came to the three-eighths pole, I had a lot of horse. We came into the stretch and, man, I saw the other horse coming, and I never gave up, I just kept riding.”
Speaking from the winner's circle, Matz said he was pleased with Tequlita's progression to date.
“I don't know yet [what's next],” Matz noted. “We'll just try to look. Obviously we'd like her to go two turns. We'll see if we can stretch her out a little bit longer. She's starting to relax more and more each race so we'll keep our fingers crossed.”
Pedigree Notes:
Sangrita–a half-sister to GISW and sire Offlee Wild (Wild Again)–captured the 2006 GII Chilukki S. for these same connections, while Tequilita's second dam, Alvear (Seattle Slew), is a half-sister to influential sire Dynaformer. Sangrita produced a full-brother to the winner in 2015 and was most recently bred back to Hard Spun.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORWARD GAL S.-GII, $200,000, GP, 2-4, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.36, ft.
1–@TEQUILITA, 120, f, 3, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Sangrita (GSW, $171,508), by Mr. Greeley
2nd Dam: Alvear, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: Andover Way, by His Majesty
O/B-Dorothy A. Matz (KY); T-Michael R. Matz; J-Luis Saez.
$119,040. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, $240,040.[bullet ad=”bradshaw-randy-shell”][bullet ad=”randy-bradshaw-hip-155″][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″] Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pretty City Dancer, 122, f, 3, Tapit–Pretty City, by Carson
City. ($825,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-John C. Oxley; B-Gainesway
Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $38,400.[bullet ad=”gainesway-bred-consigned”]3–Brahms Cat, 116, f, 3, Wildcat Heir–Brahms Affair, by
Brahms. ($30,000 2yo '16 OBSOPN). O-Bluestone
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Louie Rogers Thoroughbreds LLC (FL);
T-Larry Bates. $19,200.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 14.50, 2.40, 45.70.
Also Ran: Summer Luck, Ms Locust Point, Wildcat Kate, My Lerler, Lirica, Bode's Dream. 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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