George Krikorianās homebred Just F Y I, the undefeated champion 2-year-old filly of 2023, is set to make her highly anticipated season debut in Saturdayās $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) presented by FanDuel TV at Gulfstream Park.
The 37th running of the one-mile Davona Dale for 3-year-old fillies is one of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.85 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2), the next step on the road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 30.
Fountain of Youth 2024 Betting Bible
Get the 2024 Fountain of Youth Betting Bible, featuring ourĀ EXACT race-by-race wagering plans at Gulfstream Park on March 2, 2024! BONUS: Get our Gotham and San Felipe bets, too!
A daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Just F Y I has been training steadily at Payson Park for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with six timed works starting in mid-January, her first breezes since before clinching the Eclipse Award with her neck victory in the Breedersā Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in November at Santa Anita.
āWeāre hoping that sheās got enough in her to get started. You have to start somewhere,ā Mott said. āSheās done well. Some that look at her think that sheās probably grown a little bit. I see her every day so I donāt see it as much, but she seems to be doing well. Her works have been quite good.ā
Mott was especially pleased with Just F Y Iās most recent work, a five-furlong breeze in 1:02 1/5 Saturday at his winter base of Payson Park.
āThe time was very good for Payson,ā Mott said. āShe finished with lots of energy.ā
Just F Y I was not favored in any of her three starts last year, starting with a head triumph in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga on the undercard of the Travers Stakes (G1). She stepped up and stretched out to a mile in the Frizette (G1), romping by 3 Ā¾ lengths, prior to her determined Breedersā Cup victory.
āWe gave her some time off. What happens is you give them some time off and all of a sudden you look at the calendar and you say, āGeez, I better get going,āā Mott said. āWe had her started back breezing and then I lost a week or 10 days. She had a little skin issue which some of them get down here, so I missed a work with her. But weāve been back and had four works since then.ā
Mott hopes to use South Florida as a springboard to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 3, which comes 4 Ā½ weeks after the Gulfstream Park Oaks. It is four weeks from the Davona Dale to the Gulfstream Park Oaks.
āIāve gone back and forth just deciding should I have two races or one. If I put two races in here, theyāre going to have to be a month apart,ā Mott said. āThe clock starts ticking and before you know it, these races are right on top of you.ā
Junior Alvarado, aboard for all three of Just F Y Iās races last year, gets the return call from Post 3 in a field of eight. Alvarado won Saturdayās $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) on Pegasus World Cup (G1) runner-up Senor Buscador.
āThereās going to be some tough races down the road,ā Mott said. āYouāre hoping that the first one is not the toughest one.ā
Among those lining up to challenge Just F Y I is Six Column Stables, Randall Bloch, Mike Davis and Michael Steeleās fellow undefeated stakes winner Into Champagne. The Ian Wilkes trainee was a popular winner of both her starts, the most recent a 1 Ā¼-length triumph in the six-furlong Glitter Woman Jan. 7 at Gulfstream.
āSheās doing good. Iām very happy with her,ā Wilkes said. āSheās worked very well and everythingās good. I know itās not going to be an easy race but Iām coming in with no excuses. Weāll see where we are.ā
Into Champagne captured her unveiling last summer by 6 Ā¾ lengths sprinting seven furlongs at Ellis Park before going to the sidelines. She began breezing again at the Skylight Training Center in Louisville, Ky. in early November and has had nine timed works since early December at Palm Meadows, Gulfstreamās satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.
āI was very happy the way she did it. I thought late in the race she might have gotten a little tired. [Jockey] Julien [Leparoux] said she was looking around just waiting, so thatās good. It made me feel better where I was with her. She sat behind some horses, she had to sit there for a long time and then the [opening] came and she ran through it.ā
Wilkes opted to skip the Forward Gal and point to the Davona Dale by design. Leparoux comes in from Oaklawn Park to ride Into Champagne in her longest race to date from outermost Post 8.
āShe ran hard last time and I didnāt need to wheel her back in four weeks. Itās different if I had some more foundation in her. I would have come back and run her the seven-eights, but I just had to let her regroup a little bit off of that race. The question is coming back in four weeks after this race,ā Wilkes said. āWeāll see how far she can go. Hopefully she can stretch out. We go to a mile now and hopefully she handles that and weāll keep stretching out from there.ā
Stonehedgeās Florida homebred Fionaās Magic had a two-race win streak snapped when second behind R Harper Rose, beaten two lengths, in the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) Feb. 3 at Gulfstream, where she has made each of her four starts. The St Patrickās Day filly graduated by seven lengths second time out and notched a front-running victory racing first time against winners Dec. 7.
Whisper Hill Farm homebred Leslieās Rose will be making her stakes debut after winning her only two starts for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. By Into Mischief, she debuted with a 9 Ā¼-length maiden special weight triumph Nov. 19 at Aqueduct and returned with a one-length optional claiming allowance score Jan. 11 at Gulfstream over Gun Song, who came back to win a similar spot by 5 Ā¾ lengths Feb. 9.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racingās Queenās Martini will make her second straight start at one mile after finishing second behind subsequent Suncoast winner Power Squeeze in the Jan. 1 Cash Run at Gulfstream. The daughter of Mucho Macho Man overcame a bump at the break to win at first asking July 19 at Saratoga.
Gran Chanito Stable, Soldi Stable and Orange Racing Stableās Miss Sayely owns two wins and three seconds from seven starts, all at Gulfstream. The Maximus Mischief filly made her season debut Feb. 9 running third behind Gun Song.
Rounding out the field are:
- Diamond 100 Racing Clubās New Diamond, who graduated at first asking sprinting six furlongs last July and went unraced until returning to be third in a 6 Ā½-furlong optional claiming allowance Feb. 14, both at Gulfstream
- Suncoast runner-up Whocouldaskformo
Named for the champion 3-year-old filly of 1979 that was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985, the Davona Dale follows the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) Feb. 3 and precedes the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 30 in Gulfstreamās series of stakes for sophomore fillies.
