11.3.2002 Photo By: Four-Footed Fotos   John Oxley's Perfect Story, shown breaking her maiden at Churchill Downs last November, will make her stakes debut in the $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (GII) on Feb. 16 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Davona Dale Draws Compact, Competitive Crew
By: John Gaver III

(Feb. 21, 2003) - Only six 3-year-old fillies will go to the post in Sunday's $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., but a pair of those - Ivanavinalot and My Boston Gal - are stakes winners and Perfect Story, a half-sister to champion and Horse of the Year Point Given, will go for a South Florida hat-trick in the mile and a sixteenth affair to be run Feb. 16.

The Davona Dale is named after Calumet Farm's champion homebred filly, who not only won the Kentucky Oaks (GI) as a 3-year-old, but also New York's Triple Tiara (Acorn, Mother Goose and the Coaching Club American Oaks - all grade one affairs).

Stoneledge Racing Stable, Randall Bloch and Phil Milner's My Boston Gal, undefeated winner of last fall's Golden Rod Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs will make her anxiously awaited sophomore debut in the Davona Dale for trainer Carl Nafzger. The daughter of Boston Gal, who has won all three of her career starts by a combined total of 11 ¼-lengths, has been training forwardly during her down time. She drilled five furlongs in 1:00 flat on Feb. 18 at Gulfstream in her final tune-up for the race.

Jockey Calvin Borel will fly in from Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. to ride My Boston Gal, who will break from post position three and will tote the co-highweight of 121 pounds.

Gilbert Campbell's hard-knocking homebred filly Ivanavinalot, who has won five of her seven lifetime starts including three stakes races, will set the pace in the Davona Dale for trainer Kathleen O'Connell. The daughter of West Acre made her 2003 debut on the West Coast at Santa Anita in the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Oaks on Jan. 25, a race in which she finished a brave second to Atlantic Ocean, who will make her next start in the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks.

O'Connell is expecting her filly to move forward now that she is back in Florida. Ivanavinalot breezed six furlongs in a "bullet" 1:13 4/5 at Calder Race Course on Feb. 12 in her final work for the Davona Dale.

"I knew she was going into that race a little short, and she hated the track out there," O'Connell said of Ivanavinalot's effort on the West Coast. "So, all in all, I thought she ran a terrific race. She's doing super going into the Davona Dale, so I'm expecting a good happening this weekend."

Ivanavinalot will carry the co-highweight of 121 pounds including her regular rider Manoel Cruz. The pair will break from post four.

Trainer John Ward, Jr. will wheel John Oxley's highly touted Perfect Story back off 16 days rest in the Davona Dale, which will be the Tale of the Cat filly's stakes debut. She has just galloped up to the race for the Kentucky-based conditioner.

Perfect Story beat the graded stakes-placed filly Final Round by an impressive two lengths in her two-turn debut at Gulfstream on Feb. 5. Prior to that effort, the chestnut filly with the white blaze overcame a troubled start to win a seven-furlong allowance race by 2 ¼-lengths. She has won three of her five lifetime starts with her losses coming at the hands of Lady Tak and Belle Of Perintown, both of whom are stakes winners.

Perfect Story and jockey Edgar Prado will break from post two.

The x-factor in this year's renewal of the Davona Dale is Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Yell, a blueblood daughter of A.P. Indy and Wild Applause, that will be stepping up to stakes company off a determined entry-level allowance win for conservative trainer Shug McGaughey, who also conditions last year's champion 2-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying.

"I thought this race might come up a little easier than it's going to," McGaughey, who indicated that he initially was going keep Yell in New York for the Busher Stakes at Aqueduct, said. "But I'll keep her down here and stay with the game plan."

On Jan. 16, Yell, a half-sister to the graded stakes winners Roar, Blare Of Trumpets and Eastern Echo, scored a quarter length allowance win over Bird Town, who goes postward in the $50,000 Charon Stakes on Sunday's undercard at Gulfstream.

John Velazquez has the call on Yell, who drew post five.

The complete field for the Davona Dale Stakes, in post position order with riders and weights is Smokey Blue, Jorge Chavez, 119; Perfect Story, Prado, 117; My Boston Gal, Borel, 121; Ivanavinalot, Cruz, 121; Yell, J. Velazquez, 117 and Gold Player, Jerry Bailey, 115.

Westerly Breeze Returns To The Races -- Trainer Carl Nafzger will tighten the elastics on another top 3-year-old filly in his care on Sunday at Gulfstream as Westerly Breeze, winner of the Walmac Alcibiades (GII) at Keeneland last fall, will make her seasonal debut in the $50,000 Charon Stakes, an overnight handicap to be contested at seven-furlongs.

The Charon will be Westerly Breeze's first outing since she finished sixth behind Storm Flag Flying in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at Arlington Park. She will face a competitive field that includes Tempted Stakes (GIII) winner Chimichurri, second behind House Party in the Feb. 2 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream, and unbeaten Kitty Knight, winner of the Heavenly Cause Stakes at Laurel Park.

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