Take Charge Paula Aims to Stretch Out in Davona Dale

Having made a successful return to graded company in the first start for her new connections four weeks ago, four-time stakes winner Take Charge Paula faces a new challenge in the $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) March 3 at Gulfstream Park.

Purchased privately by Peter Deutsch prior to her sophomore debut, and sent to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, Take Charge Paula ran away from her rivals for a 3 1/2-length victory in the seven-furlong Forward Gal Stakes (G3) Feb. 3 at Gulfstream, her first graded win in three tries.

It was the third straight score for the daughter of Take Charge Indy, all in stakes, and second straight at Gulfstream. The Davona Dale will be the second try at a distance of ground for Take Charge Paula, who was bumped and steadied while finishing 10th in the 1 1/16-mile Pocahontas Stakes (G2) last fall for prior trainer Kelly Breen.

"She had one bad run around two turns, but she had a troubled trip that day, so we're going to throw that out," McLaughlin said. "She's a very nice filly, and this race will be a good stepping-stone for whatever we do. The one-turn mile should be a good test for us to see whether we go two turns next time or go back to seven furlongs.

"It's a stretch out, but she just won going seven impressively, so we'll give her a chance and see how it goes."

Two horses with experience and success at the mile distance are Gary Barber's stakes winner Miss Mo Mentum and Phipps Stable's Fly So High, making her stakes debut. Miss Mo Mentum was sixth in the Forward Gal in her sophomore bow after capping her juvenile season with an 8 3/4-length romp in the Dec. 9 Hut Hut Stakes—both at Gulfstream.

Fly So High is trained by Shug McGaughey, who will enter Saturday's program one win shy of 2,000 for his Hall of Fame career. The daughter of Malibu Moon  has put together back-to-back wins going a mile at Gulfstream by a combined 13 1/4 lengths.

Unraced until late fall, Fly So High came with a rally to finish third in her October debut at six furlongs before rolling to a frontrunning 7 3/4-length maiden special weight score Nov. 16 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"Her first race wasn't that bad; it was just too short and she was kind of in a little bit of trouble, but the race did help her. Then she came back and ran off the screen," McGaughey said. "She shipped down here and I thought she ran fine against winners, and she's trained well here. She's a great big filly, and I'll be anxious to get her around two turns.

"I'm just looking at her and thinking, 'Boy, when she kind of catches up to everything, it'll be a lot of fun.' We're looking forward to it."

The Davona Dale lost one of its main contenders this week in unbeaten Cicatrix. The Ian Wilkes-trained filly was slated to make her graded stakes debut Saturday following her victory in the Glitter Woman Stakes at Gulfstream Jan. 6, but suffered an undisclosed injury.

"She hurt herself. She won't run," Wilkes said Feb. 27, adding they were still evaluating the seriousness of the injury.