Undefeated Red Carpet Ready Steps Up in Davona Dale

Once again, the undefeated Red Carpet Ready  will take to the Gulfstream Park stage for a chance at seizing points towards the Run for the Lilies March 4 in the $200,000 one mile Davona Dale Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies.

Campaigned by Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing under the tutelage of trainer George "Rusty" Arnold II, the daughter of Oscar Performance   sits eighth on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard. She earned 20 points after a blistering win last out in the Feb. 4 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream where she sat patiently and then struck at the stretch to finish the seven-furlong race 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Undervalued Asset  and Atomically , who came second and third respectively.

"Everything's gone smooth. She came out of her last race well and in good shape. She's been acting good and had two good works back," Arnold said. "We'll check her out and hope to have a smooth week."

The Davona Dale will be yet another step up in distance for the filly who took a six-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs on debut last fall and then won the Fern Creek Stakes next out back at Churchill going 6 1/2 furlongs.

"You never know until you do it. It's a one-turn mile, which is a very good place to take this step," Arnold said. "You don't have to do the two turns yet, you don't have to change racetracks, so we're ready to get her over there. We're excited."

Bo Bromagen, Bloodstock agent and manager for Ashbrook, purchased the filly from the Mill Ridge Farm consignment to the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale for $180,000. Shortly after, Patrick Lewis of Upland Flats bought in. Red Carpet Ready failed to meet her reserve when the partners put her through the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training so Ashbrook and Upland Flats decided to race her instead.

Now, around a year later, the partners have a talented stakes-winning filly on their hands with well-founded dreams of competing on the first Friday in May. Thus far, Red Carpet Ready has earnings well over her purchase price at $265,470 and a record of 3-for-3.

Philip Serpe trainee Leave No Trace  will open her 2023 season with the Davona Dale and is currently 16th on the leaderboard with 15 points to sit behind Julia Shining . A winner of the 2022 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, this classy filly was only a $40,000 purchase by Wellspring Stables from the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale.

She wrapped up her 2022 season with a third-place finish in the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont At The Big A and a second to Wonder Wheel  in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland. The daughter of Outwork   has stabled at Gulfstream through the winter with Serpe noting that she has been coming back to work well.

"I think she's fit enough. After the Breeders' Cup we just gave her six weeks off. We kind of kept her at the barn and hand-walked her in the shed, just to give her a chance to chill out a little bit," Serpe said. "She's come back fine. This seemed like a good starting point for us. We were originally thinking a little earlier in February, but I really didn't want to turn her back to seven furlongs off of the Breeders' Cup race."

"There's a lot of places to head for down the road, whether it's the Ashland, the Kentucky Oaks, the series in New York," he added. "This is where we start and, just like when she was 2, we'll take it one race at a time."

Other competitors seeking grade 2 glory are stakes winners Atomically, Infinite Diamond , Lynx , and Dorth Vader , as well as stakes-placed Undervalued Asset and winners Positano Sunset , Guns n' Graces , and Adeliese's Smile . 

Entries: Davona Dale S. (G2)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 04, 2023, Race 12

• Grade II
• 1m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:37 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Atomically (FL)	Edgar Perez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	-
2	Infinite Diamond (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Patrick L. Biancone	-
3	Red Carpet Ready (KY)	Luis Saez	120	George R. Arnold, II	-
4	Positano Sunset (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Ian R. Wilkes	-
5	Undervalued Asset (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	-
6	Guns n' Graces (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Chad C. Brown	-
7	Lynx (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	120	Carlos A. David	-
8	Adeliese's Smile (KY)	Leonel Reyes	118	Jose M. Jimenez	-
9	Dorth Vader (FL)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	120	Michael Yates	-
10	Leave No Trace (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Philip M. Serpe	-