Zagora Too Classy for Gallorette Foes
Martin S. Schwartz’ Zagora and jockey Javier Castellano found all the room they needed in the stretch to launch their rally and win the $150,000 Gallorette Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course Saturday.
The Chad Brown trainee completed the 1 1/16-mile test on firm turf in 1:41.73 as the even-money favorite. Speak Easy, who led from the start, held on to finish second, 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner. Laughing, who chased Speak Easy all the way around, edged Smart Sting to take third.
Zagora won the Diana Stakes (G1) at Saratoga last summer and two Grade 3 stakes at Tampa Bay Downs this winter.
Gallorette Handicap Quotes
Chad Brown (winning trainer, Zagora) – “Once she gets settled and gathers herself together, she really has a strong kick. Javier’s a top rider and when he’s on my horses, I’m a lot less nervous. Nine times out of 10 he finds a way. She didn’t break that well, but I thought Javier did a great job to stay on the inside. He knew he was on the best horse.”
Javier Castellano (winning jockey, Zagora) – “It worked out really good today. It was a great performance. The pace was pretty fast today. She didn’t break that good. I was a little concerned about that, but the bottom line is that it worked out great. They spread out and I saved all the ground, and she finished great.”
Joel Rosario (jockey, Speak Easy Gal, 2nd) – “We wanted the lead and we were able to get there. We got very close, but she was just second best today. The trainer told me to get out there and to try to get her home the best I could. She tried hard for us.”
Alan Goldberg (trainer, Laughing, 3rd) – “It's a little disappointing. She might want to go a little bit further. It might be too short a race for her. Ramon thinks that she'll run all day, which is what I thought. I thought about running her next week. I was worried she might be a little too keen, but he said she was fine."
Ramon Dominguez (jockey, Laughing, 3rd) – “She was in a great spot. Unfortunately, the leader was drifting out enough where she was kind of carrying me out. It made it difficult for me to really make a good run at her. Especially from the three-eighths pole to the quarter pole, she was getting out and kind of floating me out. Other than that, she tried hard. She ran hard. It seems like she has a big, beautiful stride and she would probably appreciate a little more ground."
PHOTO CREDIT-Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club