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R Harper Rose Becomes Graded Winner in Forward Gal (G3)
2/3/2024
Longshot Frankie’s Empire Cruises to Swale Victory
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – One turn remains no problem for R Harper Rose.
Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing LLC’s R Harper Rose remained undefeated around one turn when she pulled away from Fiona’s Magic entering the stretch on way to a victory in the $125,000 Forward Gal (G3).
A daughter of Khozan ridden by Edgard Zayas and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., R Harper Rose won her first four races, including the Susan’s Girl division of the Florida Sire Stakes, before finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile finale of the Sire Stakes. Turning back to one turn and seven furlongs Saturday, R Harper Rose didn’t have much problem with the distance or the competition.
Second down the backstretch outside Fiona’s Magic, who went a quarter mile in :22:63 and a half in :45.90, Zayas moved R Harper Rose to the lead midway around the turn before winning by two lengths over Fiona’s Magic. Chi Chi was third and Scalable fourth.
“I just let her break out of there natural and see where she was sitting,” Zayas said. “I had a great post position where the speed was on the inside, so there was no rush to take the lead.
“I think, sprinting, she can go against any filly. She’s really fast out of there. She could have been on the lead if I let her go.”
Joseph had no problem with R Harper Rose’s performance or keeping her at one turn.
“She’s so fast but she can settle, and back doing what she wants to do going one turn,” he said. “I’m just proud of her today. Everything went right into this race, and she showed it today. Edgar was very patient. They broke well, [Fiona’s Magic] wanted the lead and he didn’t force the issue. I think the first three-eighths of the race it worked to our advantage. It wasn’t a crazy pace.
“This is it for her, one turn. We’re not going to experiment. Last time things didn’t go right but we’re going to keep her to one turn. There’s a lot of races for her at one turn.
Longshot Frankie’s Empire Cruises to Swale Victory
Frank DeLuca’s Frankie’s Empire, a 14-1 longshot ridden by Miguel Rivera and running out of a new barn, took the lead from Billal inside the eighth pole and drove to a convincing 3 ½ length victory in the 39th running of the Swale.
A 3-year-old son of Classic Empire out of the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Donna D, Frankie’s Empire covered the seven furlongs in 1:24.22.
A winner at 2 at Monmouth and Delaware and a third-place finisher in the Sapling, Frankie’s Empire entered the Swale off a victory Dec. 26 at Parx going 6 ½ furlongs before making his 3-year-old debut a winning one for trainer Michael Yates.
Under Vasquez Frankie’s Empire broke well and chased a :22.46 and :45.24 pace set by Billal. Moving four-wide around the turn, Frankie’s Empire drew alongside the pacesetter before driving away inside the final sixteenth.
“Susan Crowell, the previous trainer, I guess the weather was bad and [after] he won an allowance race they wanted to try him in Florida and see what shook out,” Yates said. “So they shipped him down and we picked it up and moved forward. We haven’t had him that long, maybe three weeks. Long enough to get to know him a little bit and get a breeze over the track.
“I was surprised that he was as close as he was, but after talking with Susan, he’s just kind of coming, mentally. He looks kind of like a lumbering horse. He trained like that prior to his breeze, and we breezed him in company, and he really woke up after his breeze. I was cautiously optimistic after I saw him go this week.”
Frankie’s Empire returned $30. Le Dom Bro for the place and Grand Mo the First, coming into the race off a third-place finish in the Zuma Beach (G3) in October, was third.