Photo:

Gulfstream Park / Ryan Thompson

Rojo Rita, unraced since her dazzling debut victory in mid-November, will launch her 3-year-old season against 10 rivals including Grade 3-winning stablemate The Queens M G in Saturday’s Grade 3, $165,000 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park.

The seven-furlong Forward Gal for fillies is the last of five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds on a 12-race program headlined by the Holy Bull (G3). The Forward Gal offers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Rojo Rita, a chestnut daughter of Grade 1-winning sprinter Volatile, romped by 16 1/4 lengths in front-running fashion Nov. 15 at Gulfstream in her lone start, covering six furlongs in 1:11.43. Championship meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was pleasantly surprised by the filly who fetched $80,000 as a yearling.

“She was very impressive first time out,” he said. “You never expect that. She was training forwardly and you hoped she would win, but sometimes they train well and don’t win. We were just hoping to win, and for her to do what she did was extraordinary.”

Rojo Rita returned to the work tab at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, a month after her graduation and has been working steadily since, including a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.70 Jan. 10.

“The allowance races haven’t gone for her, and she needs to run. We’re going to run her in this race,” Joseph said. “We worked her back from the gate because we knew this was going to be a possibility that she’d have to face graded-stakes horses after just one run. It’s a tall task, but she’s a very talented filly. That’s why we’re doing it.”

Edgard Zayas, up for the debut, rides back from post 9 as the 2-1 program favorite.

The Queens MG is the most accomplished of the Forward Gal fillies, with three wins and $284,380 in purse earnings. Purchased privately after her debut win at Keeneland last April, she was seventh in the 5 1/2-furlong Astoria at Saratoga racing first time for the new connections.

Her next three starts also came at Saratoga, where she won the six-furlong Schuylerville and 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack (G3) before finishing fifth in the seven-furlong Spinaway (G1), the latter two 27 days apart. The Queens M G returned to be third in the one-mile Tempted Nov. 2 last time out.

“The first time we ran her she ran dead last, so she didn’t start too good,” Joseph said. “She came back and won as a huge outsider at Saratoga, and she showed that was no fluke when she came right back and did it again. She’s proved to be a legit filly, and we’ll see now if she carries on as a 3-year-old. This race will help give us an idea of where she belongs.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the riding assignment for the first time from post 2 on The Queens M G, third choice on the morning line at 5-1.

“She’s a very accomplished filly,” Joseph said. “She had a hard campaign as a 2-year-old, and we gave her a break with this in mind. She’s coming into the race with some good works. She’s not a big filly so you wouldn’t think she should need that much, but you would think she should come up with a run.”

Eclatant, third choice at 9-2, is a bay daughter of Into Mischief who won each of her first two starts last summer and fall in Kentucky. She backs up after holding on to be third in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 30 in her most recent start.

Justinqueso, by Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, battled for the lead for the last half-mile and wound up second by a length sprinting six furlongs Dec. 19 at Gulfstream. She was ultimately put up to first following the disqualification of Dominant Diva for interference.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” trainer Ian Wilkes said. “She’s worked very well since the race. I’m very happy with her.”

Joe Bravo has the return call from post 3 on Justinqueso (10-1), who has put together a solid work tab at Palm Meadows for her sophomore debut including a five-furlong move in 59.15 seconds Jan. 18.

“She’s coming out of her race going forward, that’s the main thing. All my horses I like to see them go forward after their first race and she has,” Wilkes said. “We’re going to give her an opportunity to see how good she is. I don’t know how good she is yet. This race will tell me a lot.”

My Denysse, bred, owned and trained by Just For Fun Stable’s Ruben Sierra, is entered to make her sixth start and first since breaking her maiden in a 35-1 upset of the 1 1/16-mile FSS My Dear Girl on Nov. 30 at Gulfstream. The Forward Gal will mark her third try against open company, having run second and third in a pair of maiden special weights last year.

Stunner was beaten by a neck as the favorite when second to My Denysse in the My Dear Girl. Prior to that the speedy daughter of Girvin registered back-to-back wins by 9 3/4 combined lengths, including the one-mile Tempted Nov. 2.

Unchained Elaine, third in Gulfstream’s one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1; twice stakes-placed Beyond Belief; Volatiled, second in the Juvenile Filly Sprint against Florida-breds Nov. 16 at Gulfstream; and last-out maiden winners Frida and Costa Amalfitana also are entered.

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Unchained Elaine American Pharoah	0.00	Patrick L. Biancone Junior Alvarado	3rd, 2025 Cash Run LS	20-1
Last Race		3rd, 2025 Cash Run LS
2		The Queens M G Thousand Words	6.55	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Irad Ortiz, Jr.	3rd, 2024 Tempted LS	5-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Tempted LS
3		Justinqueso Ghostzapper	0.00	Ian R. Wilkes Joe Bravo	1st, GP MSW (12/19/2024-R6)	8-1
Last Race		1st, GP MSW (12/19/2024-R6)
4		Costa Amalfitana Twirling Candy	0.00	Carlos Munoz Miguel Angel Vazquez	1st, Tam MSW (1/11/25-R3)	30-1
Last Race		1st, Tam MSW (1/11/25-R3)
5		Beyond Belief Goldencents	0.00	Edward J. Coletti Jr. Javier J. Castellano	2nd, 2024 Future Stars Filly Division LS	20-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Future Stars Filly Division LS
6		My Denysse Neolithic	5.84	Ruben Sierra Jesus M. Rios	1st, 2024 Florida Sire My Dear Girl RS	30-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Florida Sire My Dear Girl RS
7		Eclatant Into Mischief	6.67	Brad H. Cox Luis Saez	3rd, 2024 Golden Rod G2	9-2
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Golden Rod G2
8		Volatiled Volatile	0.00	Fernando Abreu John R. Velazquez	2nd, Juvenile Fillies Sprint S.	20-1
Last Race		2nd, Juvenile Fillies Sprint S.
9		Rojo Rita Volatile	0.00	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Edgard J. Zayas	1st, GP MSW (11/15/24-R6)	2-1
Last Race		1st, GP MSW (11/15/24-R6)
10		Frida City of Light	0.00	Jose Francisco D’Angelo Emisael Jaramillo	1st, GP MSW (1/3/25-R6)	10-1
Last Race		1st, GP MSW (1/3/25-R6)
11		Stunner Girvin	6.07	Brad H. Cox Tyler Gaffalione	2nd, 2024 Florida Sire My Dear Girl RS	4-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Florida Sire My Dear Girl RS