It’s hard to imagine a much better spot for Be Your Best to land her third graded stakes this year than the Beverly D. That’s why connections decided to scratch the mare from the Ballston Spa on Friday at Saratoga and ship her to Colonial Downs for the Grade 2, $500,000 Beverly D. on Saturday. Just five other older fillies and mares were entered in this 1 3/16-mile grass fixture, and none has won above the Grade 3 level in North America. In her most recent start, Be Your Best raced wire to wire capturing the Grade 1 Gamely on May 26 at Santa Anita. She’s won four graded turf routes from six starts since owner-breeder Mike Ryan moved her into the barn of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. late last summer. Leading or sitting second during the early stages of her last five starts, Be Your Best has succeeded at distances between one mile and 1 3/8 miles. She’ll race forwardly Saturday under Tyler Gaffalione, who never has ridden Be Your Best, likely ceding the front end to Charlene’s Dream, who more aggressively goes for the lead. “She’s got that high cruising speed out there that’s been very effective for her,” Joseph said. “Previous connections sometimes took her back, but we’ve found she’s most effective going like this.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Ryan entered and withdrew Be Your Best, an Irish-bred daughter of Muhaarar, from auctions in 2022 and 2023, and Joseph scratched Be Your Best from the Grade 1 Diana on July 12 owing to a turf course that had taken rain. Joseph blamed less-than-firm turf at Keeneland this past spring for Be Your Best’s eighth-place finish in the Jenny Wiley, but while course conditions could have affected performance, the Jenny Wiley rated as more of a true Grade 1 than the Gamely, populated mainly by Grade 3 types. Beach Bomb, if she runs back to her fine second behind divisional leader She Feels Pretty on June 6 in the Grade 1 New York, could pose a sterner challenge. And while Be Your Best was entered and scratched in July, Beach Bomb, a multiple Group 1 winner in South Africa before being sent to trainer Graham Motion in Maryland, long has been pointed toward the Beverly D. “I’d always thought this was the right spot to go to, the right distance, right timing. I didn’t want to run her in July. I wanted to skip a race with her somewhere,” Motion said. Beach Bomb has shown tactical speed in slow-paced races over longer distances and figures to stalk Charlene’s Dream and Be Your Best from third under Luis Saez. “It looks like there’s plenty of pace, and I don’t mind that. She’s not speed crazy,” Motion said. Beach Bomb recently worked in company at the Fair Hill Training Center with Marksman Queen, the mare who held off Beverly D. hope Spanish Eyes by a head on July 5 at Delaware Park in the Grade 3 Dick Memorial. German-bred Spanish Eyes nabbed second last August in the Group 1 German Oaks and ran equally well checking in fourth facing tough older horses about one month later in the Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Baden. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Spanish Eyes caught softer ground she failed to handle in her final German start before being sold and sent to trainer Brendan Walsh in America. Racing over too short a distance making her North American debut in May, Spanish Eyes was a troubled fourth in a Churchill Downs allowance race, and she missed by a head in the 11-furlong Dick after completely blowing the start and closing from last into Marksman Queen’s glacial pace. Charlene’s Dream likes softer ground she won’t get Saturday and probably maxes out as a nine-furlong filly, but if permitted to dictate a slow tempo, she’ll stick around to the final half-furlong. Six-year-old Duvet Day lacks any kind of tactical pace, and in her 26th start, the Anchorage Overnight in June at Churchill, notched a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure. That’s not enough to win the Beverly D. but stands her in better stead than Chick’s Shadow, who makes her 55th start and never has approached form competitive with the top contenders. Be Your Best has found a great spot, but she will need something close to her best to make the most of it. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.