Wholebodemeister ($107.60) stuns with Davona Dale upset

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Not only was Vequist a big disappointment when returning to action as a reigning divisional champion Saturday in the Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park, but so were the fillies who figured as her main challengers.

Instead, it was Wholebodemeister, a 52-1 shot, who filled that massive void with easily the best race of her career, spurting away from her nine rivals at the quarter pole en route to a stunning 6 1/2-length upset in the 33rd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Davona Dale.

Vequist, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2020, had no apparent mishap under Irad Ortiz Jr. when making her first start since she won the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, as she gave fairly close chase to Wholebodemeister for about five furlongs before fading badly to finish ninth. So, too, were Millefeuille (3-1) and Curlin’s Catch (7-1) off the board when finishing seventh and fifth, respectively, as the second and third wagering choices.

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Wholebodemeister was sent to contest the early lead from post 1 by Edgard Zayas in the one-turn mile before putting away Adios Trippi, then proceeding merrily on her way. Bred and owned by Sabana Farm, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Bodemeister returned $107.60 to win after finishing in 1:36.89 over a fast track. Her two prior wins both had come in non-stakes at six furlongs, and she was third in the seven-furlong Forward Gal in her most recent start.

“She’s still learning a lot,” Zayas said. “I knew she would be solid if I could keep her in the clear. My plan was just to break out of there, put her on the lead and see what she got.”

Crazy Beautiful, a 9-1 chance, was along to finish second, another 1 1/2 lengths before Competitive Speed (53-1), with Pens Street getting fourth at 84-1.

Wholebodemeister essentially clinched a spot in the April 30 Kentucky Oaks with her third victory, and first in a stakes, from seven overall starts. The Davona Dale offered Oaks qualifying points on a 50-20-10-5 scale.

Wholebodemeister is trained by Juan Carlos Avila, who last March sent out King Guillermo to a similar one-sided victory in the Tampa Bay Derby at 49-1.

“I’m very happy, very happy,” Avila said through an interpreter. “She’s little, but she has a big heart. She’s super hyper and is difficult to train, but I had a lot of confidence in her.”

Predictably, the exotic payoffs starting with Wholebodemeister returned enormous mutuels. The $2 exacta (1-6) paid $1,145.20, the $1 trifecta (1-6-7) returned $5,062.50, and the 10-cent superfecta (1-6-7-11) was worth a whopping $14,039.92.

The Davona Dale serves as a lead-in to the March 27 Gulfstream Park Oaks. The winner of the 2020 Davona Dale, Swiss Skydiver, went on to become the 3-year-old filly champion.