Zaajel remained perfect in two starts with a sharp one-and-a-quarter-length victory in the G3 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 30.
The win earned the three-year-old Street Sense filly 10 points on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Despite breaking a step slowly, Zaajel quickly moved into contention on the backstretch, tracking the leaders while racing three-wide. Ridden confidently by jockey Luis Saez, Zaajel moved to challenge the leader, Queen Arella, on the far turn, quickly cruising past her rival to take command at the top of the stretch. She continued to draw off in the stretch, easily holding off a late rally from Lady Traveler to post the victory.
Zaajel races as a homebred for Shadwell Stable and is out of the Stakes-placed mare, Asiya. Zaajel is a half-sister to Graded Stakes-placed Ajaaweed (2nd, G2 Remsen), and hails from the family of multiple Graded Stakes winners United (G2 Charlie Whittingham, etc.) and Harlan Punch (G3 Philip H. Iselin).
Zaajel is the 77th career Black Type winner for Street Sense, who has another top three-year-old performer this year in Capo Kane, winner of the Listed Jerome Stakes on Jan. 1. Street Sense is also the sire of top 2020 performers Maxfield (G3 Matt Winn), McKinzie (G2 Triple Bend), Shared Sense (G3 Indiana Derby) and juvenile G3 winner Cazadero. No stallion can top his four Graded Stakes-winning dirt colts last year.
Street Sense will stand the 2021 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for a fee of $60,000, stands and nurses.
