Sleazy Gal a Step Ahead

By Mike Paradise

While we await the go-ahead to resume racing at Hawthorne the three-year-old filly Sleazy Gal has already shown she’s well-prepared to take on her ICF division rivals, right from the get-go.

The home-bred Sagebrush filly showed her readiness for her 2020 debut with a pair of very nice Florida qualifiers in late April under the supervision of her renowned trainer Erv Miller.

Erv’s daughter Hanna was at the lines of Sleazy Gal when the Engel Stable of Illinois youngster went in 1:55.3 on April 17th and 10 days later on April 27th qualified in 1:54.4 on a track listed “good” after some earlier Florida rain.

The qualifiers were contested at the Southern Oaks Training Center in Sorrento, Florida, located about midway between Orlando and Daytona Beach. It’s the winter training home for the “Miller Clan” (Hanna’s older brother Marcus is also there), along with former Illinois horseman John Butchenshoen, and several other well-regarded conditioners.

Sleazy Gal is one of Erv’s 42 sophomore pacers or trotters at the 150-plus acre facility. The Illinois native’s two-year-old horse roster lists 70 horses including the (Marty) Engle Stable’s freshman Captain Sleazy. He’s by A Rocknroll, out of the Northbrook, Illinois stable’s very successful Sportsmaster broodmare Da Sleazy One, making the colt a half-brother to Sleazy Gal and her past prominent sisters Sleazy Does It (1:51.1, $317,916) and Thesleazyprincess (1:52.2, $304.28).

Erv had Sleazy Gal well primed for the filly’s juvenile debut in late June of 2019. She was two lengths the best in her $22,225 Violet Division for driver Kyle Wilfong in 1:56.1.

Sleazy Gal lowered her mark by two full seconds when she pulled off a gutsy performance in the Springfield final with Wilfong. The filly had to overcome the nine-hole to do it.

Kyle hustled out the filly from the outside post and was parked out, three-deep much of the way, to a rapid 26 flat first quarter to get command. Sign Her Up came out of third to get take over the lead and withstood a challenge from the favorite Double Parked.

At the 54 flat half, the 13-1 longshot Ashlee’s Fine Girl , put her neck in front, however Wilfong slid Sleazy Gal between the two leaders and despite the rapid early fractions the winning Sagebrush filly showed no quit, making the front by the three-quarter pole and holding off Ashlee’s Fine Girl by one length.

Sleazy Gal ended her first season with just under the $50,000 level in purse earnings for her Northbrook, Illinois owner and breeder. The three-year-old ICF filly pace division looks very competitive and Sleazy Gal will very likely be one of its prime contenders again.

If you’re bored while live racing at Hawthorne is not available at this time why not get some action by supporting the Illinois horsemen when you wager through the Hawthorne Club app. Clubhawthorne.com is the only current source of income for purse generation during this Coronavirus shutdown.

Additional information is at Hawthorneracecourse.com