Photo: MEC
Dayatthespa was on firm footing in Saturday’s $100,000 Sweetest Chant
Stakes at Gulfstream Park Sunday, helping her to rebound from an
off-the-board finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G2) in her
2011 finale with a 1 ¾ -length victory in the turf stakes for 3-year-old
fillies.
Dayatthespa was sent to post as a strong 7-5 favorite in the field of
eight 3-year-old fillies on the strength of a four-length maiden score
in her debut at Saratoga last August and a subsequent runner-up finish
in the Natalma Stakes (G3), two lengths ahead of Juvenile Fillies Turf
winner Stephanie’s Kitten, at Woodbine in September.
“She likes the firm ground like it was today. I don’t want to make an
excuse for her Breeders’ Cup (ninth), but Ramon (Dominguez) said that it
was probably too soft for her and she didn’t care for it,” trainer Chad
Brown said.
Dayatthespa settled well off the pace under jockey Javier Castellano,
as Ready Signal set solid fractions of :23.01, :47.05 and 1:10.85 while
leading the way to the top of the stretch. Castellano asked the
Dayatthespa for some run leaving the backstretch, and the New York-bred
filly responded with a strong kick, sweeping around tiring horses on the
turn and taking dead aim at the leaders in the stretch.
After Ready Signal faded badly in the stretch, Frolic’s Revenge and
Wholelottashakin fought it out for supremacy in mid-stretch, but
Dayatthespa was in full stride to the outside and roared past them to
victory.
“I expected to be much closer to the pace, but she broke just a step
slow today. Fortunately, they went much faster up front than I
expected. She settled beautifully and when I asked her, she picked it
up really quickly,” Castellano said. “I had no choice but to go around
horses on the turn and to go a little wide. I was really satisfied with
how she ran today and I think she’s a really nice filly.”
Brown was also surprised that his filly was so far back early.
“She didn’t break good and got back further than we expected. Javier
used good judgment and tucked in,” he said. “There was a good pace up
front and they tired, so it worked out.”
Dayatthespa ran 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:34.43. Wholelottashakin, who
was ridden by Alex Solis, finished second, 2 ¼ lengths clear of Frolic’s
Revenge and jockey Jose Lezcano.