Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

She Be Wild’s 2010 debut was less than auspicious when she finished fifth in the Forward Gal Stakes Sunday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She was running for the first time since she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita Park in Southern California.

The filly that did start the new year off with a bang was Bickerson who ran away from the rest of the field on the turn to win the Grade 2 race by seven lengths under jockey Joe Bravo. That’s the same Bickerson who finished 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Go figure. But this race was on dirt and apparently Bickerson, who ran fifth in the Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park on Dec. 20 (synthetic), prefers that surface. She Be Wild may not, even though her trainer Wayne Catalano said she had been working well over the dirt. Her last two works on dirt had been bullets at five and four furlongs.

She Be Wild’s jockey, Julien Leparoux, thought the problem was the distance of the race (seven furlongs). “She took to the dirt well and I got a good trip, but the distance was too short for her,” Leparoux said.

Richiegirlgonewild broke from the gate first and had the lead in the Forward Gal a quarter mile into the race, setting a fraction of :22.62. Bickerson was right behind and took over from there and ran the half-mile in :45.24 and six furlongs in 1:09.32, increasing her margin until she was ahead by six lengths at the top of the stretch.

She Be Wild also broke alertly, but was taken back by Leparoux, and that is where it looked to me that she was struggling. Leparoux got after her at the top of the stretch, but it appeared she was running in place. Joanie’s Catch was second and Liam’s Dream was third.

Bickerson, a daughter of Silver Deputy, is owned by George and Lori Hall and trained by Kelly Breen.

FORWARD GAL Stakes Quotes:

Breen – “We took her all over last year, to California, and ran in the big races. I think we found out that she could do well around two turns in the right company, but not necessarily against the best. Seven-eighths is probably her best game and maybe she can go a one-turn mile. We passed the Old Hat (six furlongs) specifically to point for this race. When she blew out that 33 and four (fifths) I was concerned that she might have left her race at Palm Meadows (Jan. 24), but obviously she didn’t.”

Bravo – “That was really an eye-opener. Let’s put it like this; you’ve got the Breeders’ Cup winner and a full field, and our filly destroys a field like that. It makes us feel so good going forward with her. She’s been showing it all along in the mornings. (Trainer) Kelly (Breen) has some real nice fillies in his barn, and she has been showing her colors with them. She has some little quirks, but Kelly has done a great job putting in a lot of time with her. In any other barn I don’t think she would have made it this far. I give him all the credit.”