Davona Dale among four Kentucky Oaks preps on tap

Saturday’s trio includes the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park, the $200,000 Busher S. at Aqueduct, and the $150,000 Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway Park. On Sunday, Santa Anita stages the $100,000 Santa Ysabel (G3).

The Davona Dale and Busher, both held around a one-turn mile, and the 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel are each worth points on the 50-20-15-10-5 structure. The Cincinnati Trophy, a mile going two turns on Tapeta, offers points to the top five on a 20-8-6-4-2 basis. 

Here are four talking points for the fillies’ races:

1. The Davona Dale pits unbeaten Red Carpet Ready against Grade 1 winner Leave No Trace.

Leave No Trace represents the establishment from the 2022 juvenile scene, having held her own in three straight major races in the division. The 14-1 winner of the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga, she validated that upset by finishing third in the Frizette (G1) and second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Since Leave No Trace went on her winter holiday, Red Carpet Ready has emerged as a talented player. She extended her unbeaten sequence to three in the Feb. 4 Forward Gal (G3) at seven furlongs, in a manner suggesting that Gulfstream Park’s mile would be no problem. Red Carpet Ready looks to confirm her superiority over such re-opposing rivals as Undervalued Asset and Atomically, while facing a class test from comebacker Leave No Trace. 

There’s other stakes form here as well. Infinite Diamond landed the Jan. 1 Cash Run S. at this course and distance, with the consistent Florida-bred Lynx an encouraging third off a layoff. Dorth Vader won back-to-back sprint stakes before disappointing as the favorite in the Gasparilla S. 

2. The Busher at Aqueduct is all about promising stakes debutantes.

How do you separate a field of lightly-raced types with plenty of potential? Ziaerati and Asset Purchase both romped in their debut voyages in sprints at Aqueduct in January. But if the criterion is success at a mile, then Shidabhuti and Capella go to the forefront, and even the maiden Check Engine Light enters calculations after just missing by a nose at this track and trip.

Asset Purchase and Shidabhuti are stablemates from the Chad Brown barn. Aside from a potential advantage of being proven at the distance, Shidabhuti started out earlier, rolling from last in her unveiling at Monmouth Park last September. She also beat the only Busher runner with stakes experience, La Vita Sofia, in her recent allowance score here. Yet Asset Purchase showed a more tactical stalking style, and she might capitalize as the one chasing likely pacesetter Ziaerati. 

Capella, 2-for-2 on the Turfway Park Tapeta, is a half-sister to a couple of past competitors on the Oaks trail. The Juddmonte homebred hopes to develop more along the lines of 2020 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) heroine Bonny South, rather than Sun Path, who tailed off after a third in the 2021 Honeybee (G3). Pedigree is the reason to give a second look to Check Engine Light; the Uncle Mo filly is out of a half-sister to champion Arrogate.

3. The Cincinnati Trophy features Tapeta-proven runners and surface-switching Fun and Feisty.

Fun and Feisty starred in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks opener, with a rousing rally from far back in the Sept. 17 Pocahontas (G3), but she’s been out of luck since. A non-threatening eighth in the Alcibiades (G1) behind eventual champion two-year-old filly Wonder Wheel, Fun and Feisty couldn’t get near Hoosier Philly in the Rags to Riches S. when last seen in third at Churchill Downs. If the Ken McPeek trainee can bring her “A game” to the Tapeta, she’d be a threat.

The leading contenders with form on the Turfway Park surface are Botanical, who’s dominated two straight by a combined margin of 14 1/2 lengths; Bulsara, the last filly to beat Oaks points leader Wet Paint; and B G  Warrior, a 41-1 upsetter of the Valdale S., where Tammy Tap Tap Tap and Jill Jitterbug closed for third and fourth, respectively. 

4. Faiza aims to go 4-for-4 in the Santa Ysabel.

Faiza is ineligible for Kentucky Oaks points because trainer Bob Baffert is suspended by Churchill Downs Inc., but she’s the likely heavy favorite at Santa Anita. The Michael Lund Petersen colorbearer has beaten most of her Santa Ysabel rivals while compiling a 3-for-3 record. 

Pride of the Nile has come close to Faiza twice, in the Starlet (G1) and Las Virgenes (G3), and hopes the third time’s the charm. Highly-regarded Justique, who rounded out the Las Virgenes trifecta, has been more effective around one turn so far. As a Justify half-sister to Grade 1 winner Mo Town, Justique ought to stay, and circumstances might have played a role in her losses over routes. The Santa Ysabel gives her another chance. 

Faiza’s fresh rival of significance is And Tell Me Nolies, who was the division leader in Southern California before her eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. A daughter of Arrogate, And Tell Me Nolies won the Del Mar Debutante (G1) as well as the Chandelier (G2) at this track and trip, where she left hot favorite Justique back in third.