Chelsea Durand Photo

Halina’s Forte surges late to take off-the-turf Galway

by Keith McCalmont

Rigney Racing’s Halina’s Forte, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, powered bravely up the rail to nail pacesetter Baraye and capture Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Galway for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Galway, originally slated at 5 1/2-furlongs over the Mellon turf, was moved to the main track and contested at the same distance after all of Saturday’s races were moved off the turf.

Trained by Phil Bauer, the Mitole bay was entered for the main-track only and went to post as the 3-5 mutuel favorite having previously captured the Ruthless in February at Aqueduct Racetrack along with three other stakes placings. She arrived from a third-place run in the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 4 at Belmont at the Big A.

The Tyler Gaffalione-piloted Baraye marked the opening quarter-mile in 22.01 seconds over the fast main track with Golden Degree saving ground in second and Halina’s Forte, who stumbled slightly at the start, keeping close watch from third.

Halina’s Forte was cruising into contention through the turn where she was joined by a wide-rallying Value Area under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez after a half-mile in 45.43. Baraye opened up by 1 1/2-lengths at the stretch call in attempt to distance herself from her foes as Value Area battled gamely to the outside of Halina’s Forte.

The game Baraye stayed on stubbornly down the lane before Ortiz, Jr. asked Halina’s Forte to dive to the rail inside the final sixteenth and the determined filly put a head in front to secure the win in a final time of 1:04.24. It was a half-length back to Value Area in third with Golden Degree rounding out the order of finish.

Greavette, Pipsy, Ever So Sweet, Star of Mystery, El Terreno, Kairyu, Amidst Waves, Sunday Girl and She’s Always Rosie were scratched.

The victory marked the third score on the card and sixth stakes win of the meet for leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., who won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special earlier this afternoon with Showcase.

Ortiz, Jr. said his filly responded well once angled to the inside.

“I was a little uncomfortable in between horses. I had some horse for sure,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “She wanted to fight but I had nowhere to go. I was waiting to see what happened in front of me and outside of me. I saw a little space inside there and I decided to go and she go through. She deserves more credit than me because she was great in there."

Gaffalione said the Wesley Ward-trained Baraye was game in defeat.

“I was very proud of my filly's effort. She went out there, set quick fractions, fired home for me, but there wasn't enough left in the tank to hold on there. But very credible effort," Gaffalione said.

Halina’s Forte tried her luck around two turns when last-of-8 in the Grade 1 Ashland in April at Keeneland and followed with a fourth-place effort in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 3 at Churchill Downs. She got her confidence back with a sharp optional-claiming score traveling six furlongs on May 31 ahead of her Victory Ride effort.

Bauer, who secured his first stakes win at the Spa, credited Ortiz, Jr. for a heady ride.

“Four horses - it had to be that close?” asked Bauer, with a laugh. “My heart dropped at the quarter pole knowing that our luck was probably spent, but Irad, he is a magician and I mean, what about that? That was fun. The filly deserves it, she has butted heads with the best of the 3-year-olds this year. We had the overland trip today with the outside post - we could see how things developed, but I guess the shortest trip is the best trip.

"That was good, that was a lot of fun,” Bauer added. “ [The] range of emotions from the quarter pole to the wire was pure depression to pure elation.”

Halina’s Forte, a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale purchase, is out of the stakes-winning Yes It’s True mare Lunarlady, who is a half-sister to both multiple graded stakes-winner Lunarpal and graded stakes-winner Astrology.

Bred in Kentucky by Bill and Corinne Heilegbrodt and A.F. & B. Vanlangendonck, Halina’s Forte banked $82,500 in victory, while improving her record to 9-4-2-1. She returned $3.20 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with an 11-race card, featuring the Listed $150,000 Mahony in Race 8, as well as the rescheduled Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational in Race 10 and the Grade 1 FanDuel Fourstardave Handicap in Race 11. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.