Gulfstream Park played host to a performance of rare authority on Saturday as She Be Smooth powered into the Kentucky Oaks conversation with a breathtaking display in the $225,000 Davona Dale (G2). The Kentucky Oaks trail gained fresh momentum when the lightly raced filly swept from last to first, drawing clear by six lengths in only her second career start.
The one-turn mile for sophomore fillies formed part of a high-class afternoon featuring nine stakes, eight of them graded, on a programme headlined by the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) for colts and geldings. Yet it was the daughter of careful breeding and patient handling who left the deepest impression.
Named in honour of the champion three-year-old filly of 1979, later enshrined in the Hall of Fame, the Davona Dale offered 105 qualifying points toward the $1 million Kentucky Oaks on May 1, allocated on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the first five home.
The victory carried She Be Smooth to 50 Kentucky Oaks points, placing her in a share of second on the leaderboard and strengthening her position on the Kentucky Oaks trail.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, already well acquainted with this race, secured his fourth Davona Dale triumph following previous successes with Wait a While (2006), R Heat Lightning (2011) and Onlyforyou (2014).
“Certainly that’s what we were here for, to try and get some points,” Pletcher reflected. “We’ll see how she comes out of it and come up with a plan for the next start, but the Oaks is the goal.”
She Be Smooth powers home on Kentucky Oaks trail
Drawn toward the outside and ridden with composure by Flavien Prat, She Be Smooth was allowed to settle at the rear of the seven-strong field as Omaha Bay dictated early fractions, carving out the opening quarter in 23.48 seconds.
Imperatrice, a stable companion of the winner, tracked the leader, with My Miss Mo positioned neatly along the inside. The half-mile was covered in 46.15 seconds as the field began to compress, and the complexion of the race shifted markedly approaching the far turn.
Still anchored at the back, She Be Smooth crept closer along the rail before Prat angled her into clear running at the top of the stretch. Once asked to lengthen, she produced a devastating surge, sweeping past her rivals and bounding clear to score in 1:37.78 over a fast main track.
It was a performance rich in maturity for a filly so inexperienced. On debut over the same course and distance in January, she had shown promise when capturing a maiden special weight by 2 ½ lengths, a form line subsequently enhanced when runner-up Prom Queen returned to win emphatically.
“She’s been very impressive in both of her starts here,” Pletcher said. “She seems to be steadily improving. I think the more distance the better for her. We thought we might get a good pace setup. I told Flavien to be patient with her, that she’d deliver a good late run. He gave her a beautiful ride.”
My Miss Mo fought on gamely to secure second, holding the late-running On Time Girl by half a length. A further three lengths back came Omaha Bay, followed by Haute Diva, Swing Vote and Imperatrice.
Prat admitted the race unfolded slightly differently from his initial expectation.
“She jumped well,” he explained. “I didn’t want to use her, but all of a sudden she pulled back, farther back than I was expecting. It felt like the pace was good. That’s when I gave her a chance, and when I asked her, she gave me her run.”
The next significant stepping stone for three-year-old fillies on dirt at Gulfstream Park is the $275,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) over 1 1/16 miles on March 28, a race that may further shape the Kentucky Oaks field. On this evidence, She Be Smooth has firmly established herself as a filly of genuine Classic potential.
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