Gulfstream: Dutrow plans to bring Grace Hall back in the Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 31

Trainer Tony Dutrow said the only thing he was disappointed about following Grace Hall’s second-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 2 Davona Dale was the fact his filly did not win the race.

Grace Hall, the 4-5 favorite, disputed the pace from start to finish with ultimate winner Yara before dropping a tough neck decision in the 1 1/16-mile Davona Dale. It was Grace Hall’s first start since her second-place finish behind division champion My Miss Aurelia in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

[bc_video_id:245047:]“She came out of the race excellent, I’m happy about that, and I’m over the moon about everything that happened the other day except losing,” Dutrow said at Palm Meadows on Monday. “She was down on the inside the whole way. She never had that experience before, and the race went in a fast time. I’m not offering any excuses. The other filly ran a great race and beat us on the square. I thought it was a positive race, not a negative race. This race wasn’t our goal for her 3-year-old campaign, coming out of the race well was our goal, and she did.”

Dutrow said he plans to bring Grace Hall back in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 31.

“She’s still got a lot to prove, they all do, but the end of the day, make no mistake about it, she’s got to be a good horse,” said Dutrow. “And our camp has every reason to believe that we have good reason to go forward.”

* Beginning Wednesday and through the remainder of the meeting, first post at Gulfstream will be at 1:05 p.m.