Pomeroys Pistol shoots clear in Sugar Swirl

Pica Slew, who was making her first start in nearly 11 months, prompted in

second before taking over on the far turn. After a blistering half-mile split in

:44 4/5, Pica Slew began to pull away at the top of the stretch, and she was

still clear when reaching five furlongs in :56 2/5. For a moment, the 16-1

longshot hinted that she might hand trainer Brian Lynch a poignant win in her

debut for the barn. Lynch, when serving as an assistant for late Hall of Famer

Bobby Frankel, had supervised the training of Sugar Swirl herself.

But Pomeroys Pistol soon shot down the sentimental story involving the race's

namesake. Angled to the outside down the lane, she reeled in Pica Slew in deep

stretch and drew off by two lengths. Pomeroys Pistol completed six furlongs on

the fast track in 1:09 1/5 and returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.20.

"I had a beautiful trip, a dream trip," Castellano recapped. "She is a really

nice filly, really straightforward. I love her. You can do whatever you want

with her. I saved all the ground I could and when I put her outside, she took

off. She was much the best in the field."

Pica Slew, in a fine effort in her comeback from surgery for a splint injury,

salvaged second by a nose from the fast-finishing Strike the Moon. Catch a Thief

checked in fourth, followed by Indulgence, Third Chance, Moontune Missy and

Roman Treasure.

"My only concern going into the race was the 1 post," the

owner/breeder/trainer said. "I wasn't worried that she's only had one workout

since the Breeders' Cup. I know her and what she needs. I was confident going

into the race.

"She had three quality weeks turned out on the farm, but pretty much kept

herself fit running around her paddock. I don't like to grind on them before

they run. The time frame, five weeks since the Breeders' Cup, was perfect.

Javier knows her now and rides her with confidence."

Pomeroys Pistol will be seen again during the Gulfstream meet.

"We'll look at the (Grade 3) Hurricane Bertie (on February 19) and the Grade

2 after that (the Inside Information on March 17)," Tarrant said. "She'll run in

one or maybe both."

Bred by Tarrant's Hardacre Farm in Florida, the daughter of Pomeroy RNA'd for

$22,000 as an OBS August yearling. She is out of the unraced Point Given mare

Prettyatthetable, who is also the dam of the stakes-placed D'Cats Meow. Pomeroys

Pistol's second dam is multiple Grade 2-placed stakes heroine Swearingen, and

she hails from the family of Grade 1-winning sire Harlan and Grade 1 victress

Things Change.