Pounce Shows New Dimension For Herecomesthebride Triumph

Resolute Racing’s Pounce rallied strongly down the stretch and caught Life’s an Audible just before the wire to win Saturday’s 38th running of the $200,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The one-mile Herecomesthebride for 3-year-old fillies on the grass was the third of nine stakes, eight graded, worth a combined $1.85 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2).

Ridden by Javier Castellano for trainer Mark Casse, Pounce stayed unbeaten in two starts on the grass. Overall, she has three wins in four races. This was her first try in graded stakes company.

Last early in the race, Pounce, a 9-1 longshot, found her best stride in the stretch after being unhurried in the early stages. Life’s an Audible, the 2-1 second choice, had taken the lead from even-money favorite Ozara in the final sixteenth but Pounce, coming on the outside, kept on coming.

The daughter of Lookin At Lucky out of Bouncy, by Twirling Candy, had won her last start, at Gulfstream on Feb. 24, on the front end. Pounce showed a different dimension in the Herecomesthebride while breaking from the far outside post in the field of eight.

“Last time (she) broke good and I sent (her) to the lead, wire to wire," Castellano said. "It was a different ballgame today the way I handicapped the race. I was way outside with a lot of speed in the race. My goal was to save ground on the first turn but (she) didn’t break good out of the gate and I used my best judgment to drop in and save all the ground I could on the first turn because in my mind I’d have to lose ground turning for home. It was a beautiful trip. [Life’s an Audible] came out a little bit and my horse hesitated a little bit to go past, but I encouraged her and she responded really well.”

“[Trainer Mark Casse] gave me the green light. He told me it’s not going to be the same way you did it the last time. There’s going to be more speed, so use your best judgment. I feel comfortable riding for Mark Casse because they give me the chance to make the best decision out there. No matter what you have to do your job and it worked out great today.”

Mystic Lake and jockey Edgard Zayas set early fractions of :23.83, :46.58 and 1:09.38 through six furlons and took the lead into the top of the stretch but was overtaken by Ozara. She could not maintain and was passed by Life’s an Audible, who got nailed at the wire by Pounce. The winning time was 1:33.17.

Pounce, bred in Kentucky by Bell, Rankin, VanMeter, and Hancock, paid $20.00 for the win.