Vincey Girl will return to Gulfstream Park on Saturday with a chance to add turf success to a résumé already built on dirt and synthetic surfaces, taking on 10 rivals in the $60,000 Daring Kathy for fillies and mares aged three and older.
The 1 1/16-mile grass contest will anchor a 10-race programme at Gulfstream Park, with the first race scheduled for 12:20 p.m. The card will also include the $60,000 Chasing Artie over five furlongs on turf.
Vincey Girl has been away from South Florida for her last two starts, finishing outside the frame in the Yellow Ribbon (G2) and John C. Mabee (G2) at Del Mar. The return to Gulfstream will offer a different test, with trainer Jose D’Angelo hoping a familiar setting can bring out the best in the five-year-old.
Vincey Girl Gets Another Chance at Gulfstream
D’Angelo has already seen the mare rebound from a difficult spell against graded company. After finishing fifth in the Bed o’ Roses (G2) over a sprint distance at Saratoga, Vincey Girl produced a strong response in the July 11 Powder Break, coming from near the rear to score by half a length.
That victory came over 1 1/16 miles and marked only her second start around two turns. The race had originally been scheduled for turf but was transferred to Gulfstream’s Tapeta course following rain. The same distance awaits in the Daring Kathy.
“The last time she ran here was at the distance, and she won,” D’Angelo said. “I think everything was perfect that day. The pace was perfect and she was in the right position.”
Vincey Girl will start from Post 9 in the field of 11 and carry 123 pounds, sharing the top weight. Leonel Reyes will take the ride after establishing himself as the leading jockey in the fall meeting with 18 wins.
D’Angelo believes the longer distance can work in her favour and expects the return home to help after two difficult trips in California.
“I think the longer she runs, the better,” D’Angelo said. “She was very unlucky in California. The first race she had a bad trip and the second race the post position really hurt her. Now she’s home and she’s doing very good.”
Miss Mary Nell, Fantasy Performer, Defiant Lass and Lets Go Koko will provide some of the principal opposition. The quartet occupied the first four places in the Sept. 12 Ginger Punch over a mile and 70 yards on Tapeta, with only three lengths separating them.
Miss Mary Nell came out on top that afternoon by three-quarters of a length, reversing the result of the Aug. 16 Frolic’s Revenge over a mile on the Gulfstream turf. The four-year-old has already recorded two stakes victories this year and has continued to show consistency across different surfaces.
“She’s competitive and she runs her race every time,” trainer Carlos David said. “It’s coming up to the winter meet so she’s just going to gear up.”
Miss Mary Nell will break from Post 6 with Jonathan Ocasio aboard. She prepared for the race with a half-mile workout on Oct. 4 in 49.70 seconds.
Fantasy Performer will start from Post 10 with Miguel Vasquez. The mare also owns a stakes success at Gulfstream, while Defiant Lass arrives in solid form after placing in each of her three starts since returning from a 10-month absence.
Souper Zonda is another major contender. The four-year-old homebred began the year with three turf wins in Florida, including the Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf and FHBPA Filly & Mare Turf at Gulfstream, before adding the Distaff Turf at Tampa Bay Downs. She later finished second in the Violet at Monmouth Park.
Turino, drawn in Post 2, brings a turf victory at Gulfstream from May, while Hello Hello Hello will start from the inside gate after finishing sixth in the Ginger Punch.
The remaining runners are Oshala, Crafty Collector, Lets Go Koko and Janana Han. Crafty Collector has won stakes races on both turf and Tapeta, while Lets Go Koko captured the 2025 Powder Break. Janana Han, a four-year-old daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, will make only the fourth start of the career.
The Daring Kathy takes its name from the accomplished Florida-bred mare who raced from 2014 through 2016. Trained by David Fawkes, Daring Kathy won eight of 19 starts and earned close to $500,000, with six stakes victories at Gulfstream including the 2014 My Charmer (G3), Cellars Shiraz, Starfish Bay and Honey Ryder, along with the 2016 Soaring Softly.
For Vincey Girl, Saturday’s assignment will be an opportunity to reset after two demanding appearances on the West Coast. With proven form at Gulfstream and experience over the distance, the five-year-old returns to a familiar venue seeking another strong performance, this time on turf.
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