- Chart- Bravo/Contessa
- The Davona Dale field starts with Chart. Chart is a filly from the Contessa barn with Bravo aboard for the first time. This is her first time stretching out but still going one turn today. The workout tab for her is outstanding as well since her debut. Her debut was impressive too at Tampa but it was only against a 7 horse field of maidens. Today is her first day against winners, stakes competition and first time at Gulfstream. A lot of changes she has to overcome but I think she has a solid chance to go gate to wire from the rail. She will have to be sent from that position as well.
- Dream Marie- Mitchell/Williams
- Dream Marie isn’t a horse full of class but she does know where to be when the finish line comes up. She is coming into this race winning her last 3, two which came against OC company at Gulfstream. I am not a big fan of Richard Mitchell and his riding but he usually rides in lower level races on longshots. I like seeing these smaller jockeys getting a chance in Graded stakes races. However, even with the talent of this horse she tends to be slower than the field and she seems to be very green and or not as strong as her form looks. I would take others but she could pick up some pieces if the pace is strong early on.
- Emily’s Oasis- Landeros/Wilkes
- Emily’s Oasis faced winners for the first time last race and lost to Bayerness who is also in this race. To Emily’s Oasis’s advantage it was in the slop and maybe she just wasn’t familiar with it or she didn’t prefer it. There are a lot of questions with this filly’s form to me. She hasn’t raced since being a 2yo and that was almost 3 months ago. She has run on turf and dirt and on an off track. I don’t know which one she prefers or if she is even capable of competing with this competition. Too many questions for me.
- Nikki and Papa- Olsson/ Hess Jr.
- Nikki and Papa is the only maiden in the field and is also entered for another race on March 1st so we will see if they run her here. She has talent and was very green in her debut. She debuted in the Forward Gal which is a Grade 3 prep for this race she is in now. She finished 3rd after a bad start and only lost to Tonalist’s Shape by 5 ½ lengths. I think she can improve today and will improve today but to win she would need a lot more than a slight improvement.
- Reluctant Bride- Prat/Biancone
- Reluctant Bride is an interesting filly in this field. She is coming in as a filly who only has ever run on turf. She has primarily trained on turf as well. However she has 2 bullet works since January 14th on the dirt which is impressive. I think she actually rather run on dirt. She should be a huge closer but maybe the switch to dirt and addition of Prat aboard she will be closer. I think she has a legitimate shot here and will be using her.
- Spice is Nice- Velazquez/Pletcher
- Spice is Nice might be the most talented of the bunch if you look at her 84 beyer in debut while winning by 12 lengths. These connections have proven to be successful at this move from MSW to Graded stakes competition. I like her and think she is logical but this field is a million times tougher than the one she faced in debut. Will be using her but she is not my top pick.
- Bayerness- Geroux/DeVaux
- Bayerness is the most interesting horse here. She is undefeated in two starts both which were last year and both in Kentucky. She has beaten Emily’s Oasis and she has run identical races in her two starts. The layoff was concerning to me but it makes sense when pointing to this spot and her worktab being very solid and consistent. I will be using her on all tickets as well.
- Addilyn- Zayas/Sano
- Addilyn might be the only horse I completely toss today. She is a hanger and a horse way outclassed. Speed figures are way too low, and she gets crushed a lot of the time.
- Tonalist’s Shape- Gaffalione/Joseph JR.
- This horse is my top pick. She is undefeated in 4 starts, 3 which came at GP. She won the Forward Gal which was her prep for this race. This will be her 5th jockey in 5 starts but I don’t think that really matters to her. She is a fierce competitor. I think if she goes back to her only 1 Mile race she wins by a lot.
TOP PICKS
#9 Tonalist’s Shape
#6 Spice is Nice
#7 Bayerness
# 5 Reluctant Bride(WILDCARD)