Dacita Heads Team Brown in Very One

Drawing the rail is Dacita, a Scat Daddy   mare imported from her native Chile last year by owner Pete Bradley and Sheep Pond Partners. Dacita, who had won a trio of group I races in her native country, hit the ground running for Brown when she won the Ballston Spa Stakes (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course, defeating champion Tepin in the process. Dacita then disappointed in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) after being shuffled back early. The late-running mare is making her 2016 debut in the Very One.

 

Brown will also saddle another Chilean import, Guapaza, for Don Alberto Corp. The 5-year-old Seeking the Dia mare carries a three-race winning streak with her from Chile, the last two coming in group II company. She is a versatile mare who has shown the ability to stalk or come from further back, and she is the wild card in this field.

 

Quiet Kitten has plenty of experience on the Gulfstream lawn, having won four times in 11 starts over it. She has looked very strong in minor stakes company and her front-running style will stand her in good stead here as she looks to be the one to assume the early lead. Oddly enough, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who race so many Kitten's Joy progeny, do not own Quiet Kitten, but do send out a daughter of English Channel   in the race. That is Al's Gal, who scored a month ago over this course and distance in an allowance optional claimer. The Ramseys claimed her for $35,000 early last year and she has been a steady performer who will nevertheless need to step up her game in this company.

 

Kitzys Rocket also has been facing allowance and allowance optional claiming competition in which she's been competitive but not overwhelming. She also must show improvement to get to the wire first here. Brown's third entrant is Olorda, a German-bred who scored in a group III in France last year but has failed to contend in three U.S. starts, her best being a fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) at Keeneland behind Her Emmynency. She is another late runner and could show improvement for owner Martin Schwartz, who has teamed successfully with Brown on previous European imports.