She Be Smooth in the Davona Dale Coglianese Photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Undefeated She Be Smooth and My Miss Mo, respectively first and second in last month’s Davona Dale (G2), twice Grade 2-placed Just Singing and Prom Queen, an eye-catching maiden winner last time out, head a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered Saturday in the $275,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 28.
The 1 1/16-mile Oaks is part of a blockbuster 14-race program featuring 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.675 million in purses anchored by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm at Xalapa. Post time is 11:30 a.m. ET
First run in 1971, the Oaks offers 200 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1) to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.
After going unraced at 2, She Be Smooth has won both of her starts this winter at Gulfstream, each going one mile. She graduated by 2 ¼ lengths Jan. 23 then stepped up to stakes company to romp by six lengths in the Davona Dale. Flavien Prat is named to ride from Post 6 in a field of seven.
Davona Dale runner-up My Miss Mo was a 12-length graduate against fellow Florida-breds Nov. 9 at Gulfstream then ran fourth in the Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs to cap her juvenile season. Trying two turns for the first time, she will have Tyler Gaffalione back in the irons from Post 2.
Whisper Hill Farm’s Just Singing (Post 4, John Velazquez) will be making her fourth straight start around two turns in the Oaks. She broke her maiden second time out and was a rallying third by a length in the Golden Rod (G2) last fall in Kentucky, and again finished third in the Feb. 14 Rachel Alexandra (G2) in her lone start at 3.
Gary and Mary West’s Prom Queen (Post 5, Javier Castellano) ran second to She Be Smooth in debut, returning with an eight-length rout in a Feb. 12 maiden special weight at the course and distance for trainer Brad Cox.
Also exiting the Davona Dale is JSM Equine’s Haute Diva (Post 7, Joel Rosario), who finished fifth. The daughter of 2014 Florida Derby winner Constitution has been first or second in six of seven career tries on the dirt at Gulfstream, two of them wins including a 14-1 upset in the one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1.
Shining Stables’ Nasti Z (Post 3, Micah Husbands), a two-length maiden claiming winner sprinting 5 ½ furlongs Feb. 21 at Gulfstream in her lone start; and William Werner’s Betty’s Pearl (Post 1, Mario Gutierrez) a last-out maiden special weight winner going seven furlongs Feb. 8 at Gulfstream, complete the field.
The 56th running of the Oaks is carded as Race 9, with a scheduled post time of 3:31 p.m. ET
