Strong but small field for Davona Dale Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The field for Saturday’s Grade 2 Davona Dale figures to come up short but select and will include Lewis Bay, who will make her first start since winning the Grade 2 Demoiselle, a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct on Nov. 28. The homebred daughter of Bernardini is trained by Chad Brown for Alpha Delta Stable LLC.

“She’s had a nice string of works at Palm Meadows; she’s doing well,” said Brown. “She’s won at one turn before, so turning her back to a mile shouldn’t be a problem, and it should be a good starting point for her coming off the layoff.”

The Davona Dale is a prep for the premier 3-year-old filly race of the meet, the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 2.

The field for the Davona Dale is expected to include the unbeaten and untested Cathryn Sophia and the unbeaten Dearest, with Grade 2 winner Carina Mia also listed as probable by the racing office as of the weekend.

One 3-year-old filly who likely already has punched her ticket to the Gulfstream Oaks is Off the Tracks, following her easy 4 1/4-length victory in Sunday’s Margate Handicap. The win was the third lopsided triumph in as many starts for the good-looking daughter of Curlin, who was making her first start since winning the Grade 3 Schuylerville in equally impressive fashion seven months ago.

Trainer Roderick Rodriguez said after the race that he had Off the Tracks only about “70 percent” fit for the Margate, and that the Gulfstream Oaks likely would be next on her agenda, with the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 6 as his primary goal.