BY GULFTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Eight weeks after ending a stellar juvenile campaign with a fifth victory in six starts, including all three over her home track, Arindel’s Grade 3-winning homebred Mythical is set to launch her 3-year-old season with a return to graded company in Saturday’s $175,000 Forward Gal (Grade 3) at Gulfstream Park.

The Forward Gal for sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs on the main track, is the third of five stakes, two graded, worth $950,000 in purses on a 12-race program anchored by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Named for the Florida-bred named the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 1970 that won a dozen races including the Grade 1 Alabama (G1), Mother Goose (G1), Spinaway (G1) and Gazelle (G1), the Forward Gal offers 42 qualifying points for the May 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.

“We’re very happy with her preparation. She’s always been a forward filly and all the training she had since her last race has been really good,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “Every day she seems to be even better and every week she seems to be breezing better.”

Four of Mythical’s five wins as a 2-year-old came in stakes, the first two of them against open company in the five-and-a-half-furlong Tremont (Listed) versus colts and geldings and the six-and-half-furlong Adirondack (G3), both at Saratoga Race Course. She then ran fifth there in the Spinaway (G1) in her first try at seven furlongs. The daughter of St Patrick’s Day rebounded in a big way in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series to take the $200,000 Susan’s Girl on October 18 and My Dear Girl November 29 – her lone two-turn attempt – by 15 ¼ combined lengths. She has earnings of $540,750 from her six races.

“It was an unexpected blessing, for the barn and for myself, and it’s been very fun ride with her,” Delgado said. “Every day is always something to look forward to with her. You always enjoy having these kinds of horses that make you look better. I have to thank [Arindel’s] Brian [Cohen] for that. We’re looking forward to it. I know we’re coming in 100 percent. I’m very excited for Saturday.”

Edgard Zayas will ride Mythical for the first time after Emisael Jaramillo, who had been aboard for all six of her starts, moved his tack to southern California. Rated as second choice on the morning line at 5-2, they drew post four in a field of eight and will carry topweight of 123 pounds, yielding three to five pounds to her rivals.

“Of course, the races will start getting tougher, with more fillies and new fillies with every race. But she seems to handle everything pretty much so far every distance and every challenge the same,” Delgado said. “She’s undefeated here at Gulfstream. She’s been very solid every race she runs here and I think she likes to be home. She loves to breeze here and she loves to run here. It’s a speed-favoring track and she has natural speed and all those things together I think give her a better shot every time she runs here.”

Three-time defending Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., recent 1-2 finisher in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) with Skippylongstocking and White Abarrio, entered stablemates Tessellate and Secane.

Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, Turf Express Racing and John Reinhardt’s Florida-bred Tessellate won the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint by 13 lengths going six-and-a-half furlongs on November 15 at Gulfstream in her 2-year-old finale and kicked off this year with a two-and-three-quarter-length triumph in the $120,000 Gasparilla traveling seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs on January 10. She has never been worse than third in five starts.

Bred in Florida by Tim and Crystal O’Donohue’s Castle Gate Farm, Tessellate is by McKinzie out of Shotdowninflames, by Trappe Shot. She has won three of five career starts with a second and a third while banking $171,010.

Tessellate is 6-1 on the morning line and will be ridden from post two by Junior Alvarado.

Final Furlong Farm and Madaket Stables’ Secane has run third in back-to-back one-mile stakes attempts including in Gulfstream’s $150,000 Cash Run on New Year’s Day, when she was beaten two necks in a three-way photo. Her lone victory came in a maiden special weight at Gulfstream in August and she has earnings of $56,580.

Secane has post three, jockey Micah Husbands and is 12-1 in the program.

Joseph is a two-time winner of the Forward Gal, with Tonalist’s Shape in 2020 and R Harper Rose in 2024.

Trainer Brad Cox will send out the pair of Sneaky Good and On Time Girl.

Albaugh Family Stables’ On Time Girl is the 9-5 program favorite exiting a three-and-a-half-length victory in the $225,000 Fern Creek sprinting six-and-a-half furlongs at Churchill Downs on November 29. She also captured a six-furlong open allowance there by four lengths in her second start in September.

On Time Girl has post six and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

LNJ Foxwoods and NK Racing’s Sneaky Good is undefeated in two starts, both favored going six furlongs, including a nearly three-length score in the $120,000 Sandpiper on December 6 at Tampa last time out. Cox has won two of the last four runnings of the Forward Gal, with Girl With a Dream in 2022 and Eclatant last year.

Sneaky Good is 8-1 on the morning line and has post five.

In addition to Mythical and Tessellate, both Hollen Drive and Imperatrice come off Gulfstream victories. Woodland Way’s Imperatrice stretched out from her runner-up finish in a six-furlong debut maiden event on October 26 at Aqueduct to graduate in front-running fashion going a mile December 13 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

OXO Equine’s Hollen Drive was a four-and-three-quarters-length maiden special weight winner in her October 1 debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, then struggled with a sealed muddy track when fifth in the Smart Halo November 8 at Laurel Park. The daughter of Practical Joke kicked off her 3-year-old season with a two-length optional claiming allowance triumph sprinting six-and-a-half furlongs January 3 at Gulfstream under Jorge Ruiz.

“I thought she ran great last time. Jorge got along with her well and gave her a great trip,” trainer Will Walden said. “It came up a tough race. She’s going to have to move forward, but she’s given us no indication that she’s not going to.”

Completing the field is Bryant Prentice III’s Music Burst, a bay daughter of Maclean’s Music that went wire to wire to graduate in her second start on November 13 at Churchill Downs and most recently ran second, beaten a half-length, in a first level, $62,500 optional claiming over the all-weather surface at Turfway Park on December 21. All three of her races have come at six furlongs.

“She’s trained good down here and we’re pretty excited about running her,” said trainer Rusty Arnold. “I think she’ll handle the seven-eighths. We’ll see if she handles the step up in class. It’s a big difference.”

Florida-breds have won the Forward Gal 14 times going back to All Manners in 1982. More recent winners include R Harper Rose (2024), Pomeroys Pistol (2011), Frolic’s Dream (2009), Bsharpsonata (2008), Miss Inquistive (2000), Glitter Woman (1997), Mindy Gayle (1996), Chaposa Springs (1995), Spinning Round (1992), Charon (1990), On to Royalty (1988), Added Elegance (1987) and Noranc (1986).