BALTIMORE, 05-17-14 –Caroline A. Forgason’s Somali Lemonade prevailed in a spirited battle for the lead, then held off Watsdachances in deep stretch to win the $150,000 Gallorette Handicap (G3) for fillies and mares Saturday  at Pimlico.

Luis Saez sent the daughter of Lemon Drop Kid on a gate-to-wire mission in the 1 1/16-mile Gallorette, which was run over the ‘good’ turf in 1:44.16. The Michael Matz-trained 5-year-old mare beat Watsdachances by a half-length, with Triple Arch taking third.

Somali Lemonade paid $4.80.

GALLORETTE HANDICAP (G3) QUOTES

Winning Trainer Michael Matz (Somali Lemonade): “She never started going to the lead until she turned 5 and I don’t know what’s gotten into her in her old age. The trip today was fine. She likes the footing a little soft and she only had a little early pressure. We were going to retire her this year but after she ran that good race at Gulfstream (Marshua’s River) the owner, who is my sister-in-law (Caroline Forgason) said, ‘Do we really have to retired her?’ This is her only horse. The Just a Game (Belmont, June 7) is a possibility. We’ll just see how she comes out of it.”

Winning Jockey Luis Saez (Somali Lemonade): “She started to get out a little bit, but I didn’t want to fight her. She did the same thing last time, and when you try to fight her, she tries to stop. The trip was good. I put her in the lead like last time, but I had a little pressure all the way around today. She just kept running. She gave me everything.”

Co-Owner Pete Bradley (Watsdachances, 2^nd): “For her first start back, she ran a really big race. The winner is a good horse on the lead and on the softer turf, too. We ran our race and just didn’t quite get there. There’s next time. She never gives us a bad race, and it’s on the board every time.”

Jockey Javier Castellano (Watsdachances, 2^nd): “My horse tried hard today. She ran a very good race, but she just missed. She’s a good horse.”

Trainer Marcus Vitali (Triple Arch, 3^rd): “The race set up good for us. I was really happy with her. I told the jock to take her off the lead and hoped the speed would come back to us a bit. But the speed held up.”

Jockey Orlando Bocachica (Triple Arch, 3^rd): “My horse ran a good race. The winner never stopped. She really showed up today and so did our horse, but we just couldn’t get there.”

About Pimlico Race Course

Historic Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness® Stakes, the middle jewel in horse racing's famed Triple Crown, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, and is the second oldest racetrack in the United States. Pimlico has played host to racing icons and Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Affirmed and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition. For more information on Pimlico, visit www.pimlico.com.

Pimlico Race Course is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.