Broadway's Alibi puts on a show in Forward Gal

Last updated: 1/29/12 6:35 PM

Broadway’s Alibi skimmed over the slop to dominate the Forward Gal
(Adam Coglianese Photography)

by Jennifer Caldwell

Broadway’s Alibi ran lights out in the slop at Gulfstream Park on Sunday when
dominating the Grade 2, $200,000

Forward Gal Stakes under jockey John Velazquez. The dark bay daughter of
Vindication was making her stakes bow in the seven-furlong contest and frolicked
home a 16 3/4 length winner over the sealed dirt for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She’s fast,” Pletcher stated. “I don’t know about distance. I guess
we’ll have to find out at some point.”

The sophomore lass finished up in 1:21 4/5 after setting all the pace through
quick splits of :22 1/5, :44 4/5 and 1:09 while tracked by Say a Novena to her
outside. Yara kept in close attendance just in behind down on the rail while
Grade 3 Old Hat Stakes winner Sacristy followed in fourth three wide. Never
challenged at any point, Broadway’s Alibi merely drew off when shown the whip
exiting the turn, extending her margin all the way to the wire.

“Last time I rode her I tried to take a bit of a hold and she didn’t
like that,” Velazquez admitted. “She threw her head up and drifted out
pretty bad. Today I decided to just let her rock-n-roll and it worked
better. She still drifted a little. I guess it’s just a bad habit. She’s
just so fast I wasn’t going to fight her. The track was pretty sticky
but she liked it.”

The E. Paul Robsham Stables homebred was making just her fourth career start
in this spot, having captured her last two by a total of 12 lengths. The most
recent of those came on December 15 on Gulfstream’s fast dirt against optional
claiming rivals, and Broadway’s Alibi broke her maiden three months earlier in
September by seven lengths at Delaware Park. The filly, who made her racing
debut a second-place finish at Delaware last August, has now banked $189,500
lifetime.

Broadway’s Alibi lived up to the public’s expectations when returning $4.40,
$2.80 and $2.10 as the 6-5 favorite. Say a Novena maintained her spot in second
throughout, crossing under the line two lengths in front of 5-2 second choice
Sacristy. Yara followed by 3 3/4 lengths, with Quick Flip 4 1/4 lengths back in
fifth. Good Deed was another three lengths behind to complete the order under
the wire.

“I’m happy with the way our filly ran,” said Eddie Plesa, who conditions Say
a Novena. “She improved off her last start. We ran into a buss saw. That other
filly (Broadway’s Alibi) looks like she could be anything. I’m glad she’s going
to New York.”

“The winner is a pretty nice horse,” said Sacristy’s trainer, Wayne Catalano
“We ran our race. You hate to see the track come up like that. I’d like to run
her back on a fast track. She handled the mud from what (jockey) Kent (Desormeaux)
said. I’m going to freshen her up and make a plan for her.”

Bred in Kentucky, Broadway’s Alibi is out of the stakes-winning Seeking the
Gold mare Broadway Gold, making her a half-sister to last year’s Real Prize
Stakes victress and Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes third R Gypsy Gold. Broadway
Gold is herself a half-sibling to last season’s Grade 1 Florida Derby hero
Dialed In, with that pair produced by Grade 2-placed Miss Doolittle.

Eliza, the 1992 champion two-year-old filly and second in the next year’s
Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, is the third dam of Broadway’s Alibi and claims as a
half-brother Grade 1 scorer Dinard.