American Gal sweeps by competition in Grade 1 Test
American Gal made her second trip to New York another winning one, this time in the $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test Stakes. Owned and bred by Kaleem Shah, American Gal also won the Grade 3 Victory Ride last out at Belmont Park.
Trainer Simon Callaghan paired the filly up with jockey Jose Ortiz for her second start outside her California base. The Test is a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies, and nine others showed up to take on the rising star.
When the gates opened, Chalon grabbed the lead from post three and Vertical Oak sat close in second. Faypien, also making the trip from California for trainer Bob Baffert, was up for third early on, and American Gal came over from the outside post to sit in fourth. Minnie Blip, Tequilita, Divine Miss Grey, and Chanel’s Legacy rounded out the tight-knit group, followed by Your Love and the trailer, Cursor.
Chalon held a narrow lead through opening fractions of :22.42 and :44.53 for the first half-mile. In the middle of the turn, Vertical Oak inched closer on Chalon’s outside, with Faypien drawing even while three wide on the turn. Moving best of all was American Gal, who made a four wide bid turning for home. The west coast shipper bounded down the middle of the track, ticking off three-quarters of a mile in 1:09.04 before finishing the seven furlongs in 1:22:26 and winning by four lengths.
Callaghan was pleased with the result and happy to find a distance that suits the filly.
“We knew she was sitting on a big performance. She came into this race so good after her last race, and for once the race went perfectly to plan,” Callaghan said. “She got a great trip and she dominated today. I think cutting her back to seven-eighths is her optimal distance. We'll take her back to California and think about the Breeders' Cup and which way to go about but we'll just enjoy today.”
Ortiz was also happy with the winning ride.
“She finished very well. I just wanted to get a clean break and I got it,” Ortiz said. “We found some room very well. She was impressive for me today.”
At 2-1, American Gal paid $6.30, $3.30, and $2.60 while Faypien, also 2-1, delivered $3.60 and $2.80 to place. Tequilita made a late run to show, finishing a half-length behind Faypien and returning $4.00 at 10-1.
Chalon, Vertical Oak, Your Love, Divine Miss Grey, Chanel’s Legacy, Minnie Blip, and Cursor completed the order of finish.
American Gal is a daughter of Concord Point out of American Story, by Ghostzapper. Her previous start, the Victory Ride, was her debut for Callaghan after being transferred from the Bob Baffert stable. After her victory in the Test, she holds a record of 4-1-1 from six starts and has earned $707,700 for owner-breeder Kaleem Shah.
“I have to think seven-eighths is such a good distance for her,” Callaghan said. “A mile, she she's still very good, but at the back of my mind seven-eighths is where she's going to be spectacular.”
By Christine Oser