BY BROCK SHERIDAN
My Miss Mo tries to join her fellow Florida-bred Taken by the Wind as a serious contender on the Road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1) as trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will saddle her for the $200,000 Davona Dale (Grade 2) at Gulfstream Park Saturday. My Miss Jo joins eight other 3-year-old fillies in the one-mile affair and runs for a share of an additional $25,000 offered from the Florida-bred Incentive Fund.
The first five finishers will split 105 points on the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard allocated on a 50-25-15-10-5 schedule. The nine-furlong, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks will be run at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 1.
My Miss Mo showed signs of potential in her second race as a 12-length winner of a seven-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-bred fillies at Gulfstream Park on November 9. However, she disappointed in her stakes debut at Tampa Bay Downs on December 6, finishing fourth in the $102,000 Sandpiper going six furlongs. The bay daughter of Uncle Mo makes her first start since.
My Miss Mo has earned $39,830 for owners Rich Averill of Bradenton, Florida and his Averill Racing; Bill and Terry Mathis’ Mathis Stables based in Oklahoma and Tristan de Meric of Ocala, Florida. Averill and Mathis Stable purchased My Miss Mo for $320,000 out of last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where she was consigned by de Meric Sales. She is the first foal out of the Florida-bred Quality Road mare In a Dream, a half-sister to Grade 3 Pimlico Special-winner Harper’s First Ride and stakes-placed Klugman.
Joseph has given the riding assignment to Tyler Gaffalione, who rides My Miss Mo for the first time. They will break from post one.
Among the likely favorites are On Time Girl, winner of her last two including a three-and-a-half-length score in the $225,000 Fern Creek at Churchill Downs in November before taking the Grade 3 Forward Gal at Gulfstream by three lengths on January 31.
On Time Girl is trained by Brad Cox for Albaugh Family Stables LLC and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from the outside post nine.
Trainer Bill Mott will saddle Swing Vote, a length winner of a six-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream on January 24 in her second start, producing a field-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
Owned by Old Bones Racing Stable, CJ Thoroughbreds, Joey Platt, Swing Vote will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post seven.
Rounding out the field are Blazing Brat with Luis Saez named to ride, Edgard Zayas has the call on Paradise, Omaha Bay will have Javier Castellano up, Imperatrice will be guided by John Velazquez, David Egan takes the assignment on Haute Diva and Flavien Prat rides She Be Smooth.
Return to the February 25 issue of Wire to Wire
