Gulfstream Park notes: Dayatthespa back in training

The high-class turf filly Dayatthespa, who was injured in the Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park 1 1/2 months ago, has returned to light training at Palm Meadows in south Florida for trainer Chad Brown, who said he hopes to have her back for the Keeneland meeting in April.

Dayatthespa propped when rounding the first turn of the Matriarch, and emerged from the race with a laceration on her left hip, and a wound to her right front tendon that required stitches.

“She’s just trotting easy right now,” Brown said Thursday morning. “We’re going to bring her back slowly. I would think the earliest she could run would be at Keeneland.

“I was hoping to run her here in the Honey Fox,” Brown said, referring to the Grade 2, $150,000 Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream on March 16, “but she won’t make it.”

Brown said his first major goal of the year would be the Just a Game, a Grade 1 race on the Belmont Stakes undercard on June 8.

“So far, so good,” he said. “The stitches are out now. We want to see if she flexes the tendon properly and there’s no discomfort.”

Portion of Unbridled Command sold

A minority interest in Unbridled Command, winner of the Hollywood Derby in his last start, has been sold to a partnership headed by David Bernsen, according to Tom Bush, who trains Unbridled Command.

Bernsen, who lives in California but has extensive interests in Australian racing, last year purchased the long-distance runner Sanagas for the purposes of running in the Melbourne Cup. While Bernsen’s group currently has a minority interest in Unbridled Command, Bush said there are provisions for a majority interest to be acquired at a later date.

As a result, Bush said international racing could be in the offing this year for Unbridled Command, but before that, Unbridled Command is expected to face the likes of Animal Kingdom and Point of Entry in the Grade 1, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Feb. 9.

“That’s the race we’re pointing toward,” Bush said Friday morning, one day after Unbridled Command worked five furlongs in 1:01.23 on the turf at Palm Meadows. That was his third work since arriving here for the winter.