She Be Smooth makes easy work of the Davona Dale field, Coglianese Photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Calumet Farm homebred She Be Smooth, making just her second career start, thrust herself into the Kentucky Oaks (G1) conversation with an impressive last-to-first six-length victory in Saturday’s $225,000 Davona Dale (G2) presented by Inglis Digital USA at Gulfstream Park.
The 39th running of the Davona Dale for sophomore fillies going a one-turn mile on the main track was the sixth of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $2.025 million in purses on a blockbuster program anchored by the $425,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).
Named for the champion 3-year-old filly of 1979 that was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1985, the Davona Dale offered 105 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis.
The win moved She Be Smooth ($13.60) into a tie for second-most Kentucky Oaks points with 50 and gave Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth Davona Dale triumph following Wait a While (2006), R Heat Lightning (2011) and Onlyforyou (2014).
“Certainly that’s what we were here for, to try and get some points,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see how she comes out of it and come up with a plan for the next start, but the Oaks is the goal.”
Breaking outside all but 4-5 favorite On Time Girl, last out winner of Gulfstream’s seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) Jan. 31, Prat was unhurried in the early stages trailing the field of seven as Omaha Bay led the way through an opening quarter-mile in 23.48 seconds. Forward Gal runner-up Imperatrice, She Be Smooth’s stablemate, chased two wide in second with My Miss Mo tracking inside in third.
The half went in 46.15 with My Miss Mo surging up the rail to pass Imperatrice for second, as Jan. 1 Cash Run winner Haute Diva began to get into position in fourth with On Time Girl still grinding along in fifth. She Be Smooth began to make up ground hugging the rail around the far turn, tipped out to the center of the track to gain a challenging spot and opened up once set down by Prat to win in 1:37.78 over a fast main track.
She Be Smooth also came from off the pace in her debut, though never trailed by more than 1 ? lengths in a 2 ?-length maiden special weight victory also going one mile Jan. 23 at Gulfstream. The runner-up that day, Prom Queen, came back to graduate by eight lengths in her next start.
“She’s been very impressive in both of her starts here,” Pletcher said. “She seems to be steadily improving. I think the more distance the better for her. We thought we might get a good pace setup. I told Flavien to be patient with her, that she’d deliver a good late run. He gave her a beautiful ride. He was able to save ground around the turn and then angle out at the top of the stretch and she finished really nicely.”
My Miss Mo determinedly held second by a half-length over late-running On Time Girl. It was another three lengths back to Omaha Bay followed by Haute Diva, Swing Vote and Imperatrice. Blazing Brat and Paradise were scratched.
“She jumped well,” Prat said. “I didn’t want to use her, but all of a sudden she pulled back, farther back than I was expecting. It felt like the pace was good. That’s when I gave her a chance, and when I asked her, she gave me her run.”
Next up for 3-year-old fillies on the dirt is the $275,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) going 1 1/16 miles around two turns March 28.
