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Photo By: Benoit

Original Spin will be making her first start since finishing third in the Gr. I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies when she lines up Sunday in the $150,000 Gr. II Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE, Fla. (March 3, 2006) It's been two years since back-to-back Eclipse award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher stood with his former star filly Ashado in the Kentucky Oaks winner's circle at Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May. Ashado went on to win consecutive championships and was retired at the end of 2005 as one of the greatest distaffers of the decade. Now, Pletcher has at least two fillies racing this Sunday at Gulfstream Park that he hopes can - or at least come close - to filling Ashado's proverbial shoes. They are the speedy India, representing the Pletcher stable in the $150,000 Gr. II Stonerside Forward Gal Stakes to be run at seven furlongs, and the highly regarded Wait a While in the $150,000 Gr. II Bonnie Miss Stakes at the Kentucky Oaks distance of 1 1/8 miles.

Lyon Stable's India, a recent winner of a Gulfstream allowance, will face a stout group of 10 rivals in the Forward Gal, including Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Original Spin, making her highly anticipated 3-year-old debut off a solid work tab, as well as the undefeated Old Hat winner Misty Rosette. The 3-1 morning-line favorite in this contentious heat is the Dale Romans trained Joint Effort, who is making her first start fresh off of winning the Sunshine Millions Oaks last out.

While India appears to be improving and has the services of her regular rider - Pletcher's main go-to jockey John Velazquez - she is certain to be higher odds than her stablemate in the Bonnie Miss.

Arindel Farm's Wait a While, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, has won 3-of-5 starts including an authoritative 14-length romp last out in the Gr.II Davona Dale at Gulfstream. While that win came in the slop, her performance, which was her first since finishing third in the Gr. II Demoiselle at Aqueduct in her 2-year-old finale, was nothing short of spectacular. A daughter of Maria's Mon, who sired 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, Wait a While will break on the far outside of the seven-horse Bonnie Miss field under Velazquez.

Not far away in post No. 5, Stevestan Stable's French Park will be looking to get back to her winning ways for trainer Helen Pitts when she lines up in the Bonnie Miss. The gray daughter of Ecton Park was a perfect 3-for-3 last year as a juvenile with back-to-back impressive graded stakes victories at Churchill Downs in the fall, but she started her 2006 campaign with the only blemish on her record - a narrow head defeat in the Gr. III Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs. According to Pitts, the Bonnie Miss presents a good time for her star filly to get things back on track.

"It's going to be tough because she hasn't raced in seven weeks," she said. "There are going to be some good fillies in there that are coming off a race over the track in the Davona Dale, but it's time to get going. I want a good race out of her and to get moving on a spring campaign."

Pitts, a former assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek, has already had a good winter at Gulfstream. The Maryland native recently won the Gr. I Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf with the Brazilian-bred Einstein.

The Richard Dutrow trained Wonder Lady Anne L, winner of the Gr. II Demoiselle over Wait a While last October at Aqueduct, will be trying to make amends for a sub par effort last out in the sloppy Davona Dale, and she figures to be a threat from off the pace. Better Now, the favorite in the Demoiselle last fall before finishing a disappointing fifth, will be making her first start since that effort when she goes to post in the Bonnie Miss, and she has been training nicely for trainer Mark Hennig for her sophomore debut and should also be a danger from off the pace in this contentious renewal of the Bonnie Miss.

The full field for the Bonnie Miss, which is the eighth race on Gulfstream Park's Spectacular Saturday card, in post position order (with jockeys): Smart N Pretty (Rafael Bejarano), Teammate (Cornelio Velasquez), Wonder Lady Anne L (Edgar Prado), Mia's Reflection (Manny Cruz), French Park (Mark Guidry), Better Now (Javier Castellano) and Wait a While (Velazquez).

In the Forward Gal, Race 10, the field will line up with A Sea Trippi on the rail, followed by Miraculous Miss, Misty Rosette - the likely favorite, Vestrey Lady, Lake Alice, Original Spin, India, Joint Effort, Miss Shop, Sweet Fervor and Win McCool.

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