Forest Heiress One to Beat in Cicada Stakes

Forest Heiress may very well be the horse to beat in Saturday's Cicada Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs, but she could face a tough challenge from highweight Proper Gamble.

Forest Heiress, a winner of four of six starts with two second, the daughter of Forest Wildcat is a multiple graded stakes winner having taken the Sorority and Valley Stream, both grade III, last year.

The lone start of 2002 for Forest Heiress was a second-place finish behind A New Twist at 1-5 in Gulfstream's Old Hat.

In her only start beyond six furlongs, Forest Heiress stayed well to be a game runner-up against the highly regarded Neil Drysdale runner Bella Bellucci in the 6 1/2 furlong Astarita Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at Belmont last fall.

Richard Migliore gets the mount on Forest Heiress in the Cicada.

But Proper Gamble, who starts at a highweight of 122 pounds, could put up a tough fight. Proper Gamble finished a well-beaten fourth to Forest Heiress in last year's Valley Stream, but after freshening the daughter of Prospector's Gamble ran second to Nice Boots Baby in the Ruthless, and then registered her first stakes win in the Dearly Precious.

In the Cicada, Javier Castellano will have the mount on Proper Gamble.

The field for Saturday's Cicada Stakes (gr. III) includes: Haunted Lass (Michael McCarthy, 118); Two Times a Lady (Omar Klinger, 118); Mrscoppolaskitchen (Jose Bermudez, 118); Forest Heiress (Migliore, 120); Short Note (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 118); and Proper Gamble (Castellano, 112).