Gambling Girl, who represents four generations of homebreds for Gallagher’s Stud, runs in Friday’s 149th Kentucky Oaks. Coady Photography
By Tom Law
Mallory Mort figures by late afternoon Friday he’ll be settled for the day and ready to take in the latest accomplishment for Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud.
“I’ll probably go down to Mrs. Brody’s house and watch on the couch,” Mort, the longtime manager at Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, said of Friday’s 149th running of the Kentucky Oaks. “Maybe I’ll have a glass of wine or something.”
The something could be settled not long before 6 p.m. when Gambling Girl, who represents four generations of horses bred, foaled and raised at Gallagher’s, takes on 13 others in the 9-furlong Oaks. She’ll be the first Oaks starter for Gallagher’s, which bred 1986 Epsom Derby starter Allez Milord and 2008 Preakness Stakes third-place finisher Icabad Crane.
“You never know in these races, right?” Mort said when it was suggested champagne could be in order if Gambling Girl scores the upset.
“We’re very excited,” Mort said. “She’s a longshot, but that’s why they run the race, right?”
Gambling Girl is 15-1 on the morning line for the Preakness with Irad Ortiz Jr. named to ride the daughter of Dialed In out of the Empire Maker mare Tulipmania. Todd Pletcher will saddle Gambling Girl for owner Mike Repole’s Repole Stable, with the Hall of Fame trainer looking for his second Oaks win in the last three years and fifth overall.
Ortiz rode Gambling Girl during much of her 2-year-old campaign, which saw her win the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes and finish a close third in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes and earn a finalist nod for champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly.
Gallagher’s Stud sold Gambling Girl through consignor Denali Stud for $200,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Gallagher’s also bred Gambling Girl’s dam, granddam and great-granddam, giving Friday’s $1.25 million Oaks great meaning for the farm founded by Jerry and Marlene Brody and carried forward by Marlene after Jerry’s death in 2001.
“Obviously, it’s very satisfying but these are the kinds of horses the Brodys, and since Mr. Brody died, Mrs. Brody, has tried to breed,” Mort said. “It’s very difficult. We don’t have many foals per year, but these are the kinds of horses we look forward to. We’ve had a horse run in the Epsom Derby before, a horse run in the Preakness, so we’ve had some pretty good horses but never had anybody to run in the Oaks.”
Gallagher’s will have four foals this year and the farm expects seven in 2024. Mort said they generally keep the numbers to around five per year.
Tulipmania produced a filly by Medaglia d’Oro this year, which Mort said “is quite nice,” and she’s also the dam of a 2-year-old Twirling Candy filly named Gallant Greta that sold for $90,000 at last year’s Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Gambling Girl’s yearling full brother should follow a similar path to his Oaks-bound sister.
“We’re going to sell in one of the Saratoga sales, we haven’t decided which one we’re going go in yet,” Mort said of either the Select Sale Aug. 7-8 or the NY-bred sale Aug. 13-14. “It might depend on how she does (in the Oaks).”
Gambling Girl’s run in the Oaks, which goes as the 11th race Friday with post time at 5:51 p.m., leads a strong New York-bred contingent in Louisville this weekend.
Robert and Lawana Low’s Classy Edition, a 4-year-old daughter of Classic Empire bred by Chester and Mary Broman, kicks things off when she takes on Secret Oath, Society, Search Results and defending champ Pauline’s Pearl in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes at 4:04 p.m. Friday. Unbeaten and a two-time stakes winner at 2 and Grade 2-placed at 3, Classy Edition comes off back-to-back wins including the Grade 3 Royal Delta Stakes in mid-February at Gulfstream Park.
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Day card marks the return of New York-bred Grade 1 winner Spendarella in the Grade 2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes. Gainesway Stable’s homebred 4-year-old daughter of Karakontie is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the $500,000 grass stakes coming off nearly a nine-month layoff. She’s won four of five starts, including the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, with the only blemish a runner-up finish in last year’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
