Champion Vequist Tops 106 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks Sponsored by:
Vequist, with Joel Rosario aboard, winning the Juvenile Fillies
Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist, winner of the $2 million Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1), tops the roster of 106 early nominations to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), North America s premier race for 3-year-old fillies that will be staged at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on Friday, April 30.
Owned in partnership by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swillcan Stable and trained by Butch Reid Jr., Vequist was a dominant two-length winner of the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is based at Palm Meadows in South Florida and is entered in Saturday s $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Weekend Lineup: Trio Of Eclipse Award Winners Back In Action Sponsored by:
Geroux flashes a smile at the wire of the Breeders Cup Distaff with Monomoy Girl
Three Eclipse Award winners will be in action this weekend with reigning juvenile male champion Essential Quality – the top-ranked horse on the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll – headlining the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, champion 2-year-old filly Vequist making her seasonal bow in the Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and champion older dirt female Monomoy Girl getting her 6-year-old campaign started in Sunday s Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn. In addition, Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf winner Fire At Will is set to be part of the field of 10 in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, which will anchor Saturday s 14-race program with nine stakes at Gulfstream Park.
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Vequist, with Joel Rosario aboard, winning the Juvenile Fillies
Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable s Vequist, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2020, is set to launch her highly anticipated sophomore season against 11 rivals in Saturday s $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
The 34th running of the one-mile Davona Dale is part of a blockbuster 14-race program featuring nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.475 million in purses anchored by the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill n Dale Farms at Xalapa March 27.
First race post time is 11:30 a.m.
Needs Supervision Could Play Upset Card In Barbara Fritchie Sponsored by:
Needs Supervision
Encouraged by her most recent effort, trainer Jerry O Dwyer is giving Howling Pigeon Farms, Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Madaket Stables multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision another shot at graded success in Saturday s $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel Park.
The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th edition of the $250,000 General George (G3) for 4-year-olds and up co-headline a Winter Sprintfest program of six stakes worth $900,000 in purses. First race post time is 12:25 p.m.
In addition to Needs Supervision, a 12-1 long shot on the morning line, Madaket s Sol Kumin also has an ownership stake in the Fritchie s 8-5 program favorite, five-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful. The two horses will break side-by-side respectively from Posts 7 and 8.