Dayatthespa, a clear winner in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes
Trainer Chad Brown trains the 3-year-old New York bred filly, Dayatthespa, for the partnership of Jerry and Ronald Frankel, Steve Laymon, and Bradley Thoroughbreds, as their odds on City Zip filly came off a pedestrian pace set by, Frolic’s Revenge, to take
the race in the deep stretch and win the Grade 3, $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes, over at Gulfstream Park’s turf course going over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on 11 March, 2012.
The filly was stretched out in distance from a mile to 1 1/8 miles, a distance she has never run before in her last four starts.
The 9 to 10 favourite, Dayatthespa, under jockey Javier Castellano stalked a mild pace, but coming off the far turn she seized the initiative and took the lead from Frolic’s Revenge. It was turning out to be an easy win for Dayatthespa, who had opened up
a clear advantage in the stretch, but the 11 to 1 shot Regalo Mia was conserving energy for last as she burst into pace and challenged the leader with full force.
Dayatthespa really had to dig in, and kept the Michelle Nihei trained filly under Jesus Lopez Castanon at bay. Regalo Mia finished second 3 ¼ lengths ahead of the original third place finisher, Almusafa, but she got disqualified to finish sixth as Dixie
Strike took her position and finished third.
“The plan was to sit second or third early in the race and it set up perfect for her," said co-owner Laymon "The big thing with her is she needs hard turf like it was today. She didn’t get that in the Breeders’ Cup. It was too soft for her. If you look at
her dam, her past performances don’t show much, but she’s a full sister to a Virginia Derby winner, Phi Beta Doc. We don’t have any plans to try her on dirt, but you might see her on Polytrack at Keeneland. We’ll talk it over with Chad.”
Out of mare M’Lady Doc by Doc’s Leader, Dayatthespa, downed her first graded stakes win. She was exiting a win in the Sweetest Chant Stakes over a mile in her seasonal debut, and in her second start of her career last season she finished a close second to Northern
Passion in the Grade 3 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.
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