Take Charge Paula Seeks Gulfstream Oaks Rebound

Four weeks after having her streak snapped at three consecutive stakes, Peter Deutsch's Take Charge Paula seeks a return to her winning ways March 31 in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).

The 48th running of the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks is one of seven stakes, five graded, worth $2.5 million in purses on the $1.1 million Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) program. The race for 3-year-old fillies awards qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 basis to the top four finishers on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who won the 2009 Gulfstream Park Oaks with Justwhistledixie when it was run as the Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2), Take Charge Paula joins Heavenhasmynikki as the only two horses in a field of 13 to compete in each of Gulfstream's three graded stakes for sophomore fillies during the championship meet.

The daughter of 2012 Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy was a 3 1/2-length winner of the seven-furlong Feb. 3 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) in both her first start at 3 and first since joining McLaughlin after she was purchased privately following her victory in the Dec. 9 House Party Stakes at Gulfstream.

Last time out, Take Charge Paula ran second to well-regarded favorite Fly So High in the one-mile Davona Dale Stakes (G2) March 3, a race where she conceded six pounds to the winner as the 122-pound top weight. All fillies will carry 122 pounds in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Jose Ortiz rode the Davona Dale winner, who exited the race with a suspensory injury that will cause her to miss the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). The jockey has the call on Take Charge Paula from post 3. McLaughlin is hoping for a more formful and less eventful race from the filly that has done her best racing on or near the lead.

"Last time she had kind of an interesting trip. She was out in the middle of the track down the backside and had horses come up inside of her, and Jose (on Fly So High) came outside of her and dropped back to fifth, and I thought at one point on the turn we were going to be sixth," McLaughlin said.

"Then she came back on and finished second and ran very well. The winner was impressive, and we were second-best. We gave the winner six pounds, but she was the best horse any way you looked at it. This time it's equal weights for all, and she's doing very well."

Take Charge Paula's previous try around two turns resulted in a horrific trip, where she was bumped and steadied and wound up well-beaten in the Pocahontas Stakes (G2) in the fall for previous trainer Kelly Breen. It remains the only time she has finished worse than second in eight starts, with five wins.

"We feel like she always breaks sharp from the gate, so going two turns should be to our advantage here because we have speed and the mile and a sixteenth. It should work out well. Hopefully this time we're the favorite and we get it done," McLaughlin said. "She came out of the last race in good shape. She worked well the other day, and she's ready to go."

A back-to-back winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks in 2015 and 2016, trainer Dale Romans takes aim at his third victory with Roddy Valente, RAP Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' Coach Rocks and William Pacella and Frank Jones Jr.'s C.S. Incharge. Another Take Charge Indy filly, C.S. Incharge ran her win streak to two when she won the mile and 40-yard Suncoast Stakes Feb. 10 by three-quarters of a length at Tampa Bay Downs.

Coach Rocks, a bay daughter of 2013 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Oxbow , broke her maiden by eight lengths in frontrunning fashion Feb. 14 at the Oaks distance.

Arindel homebred Blonde Bomber, a rallying third in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to cap her 2-year-old season, returns to Gulfstream for the Oaks. She has not run over her home track since a 7 1/4-length romp in the one-mile Our Dear Peggy Stakes Sept. 30, having opened her 2018 campaign finishing fourth in the Jan. 13 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and fifth in the Feb. 10 Suncoast Stakes.

"Blonde Bomber is on her toes and good. (The Oaks) has always been on the back burner, but I didn't expect to go into it with two off-the-board finishes," trainer Stanley Gold said. "I'm not going to make any excuses for her. Sometimes things don't go the way you want them to, but she's back home and she's training good. She feels good and came out of it good, so we'll try her again and hope she can show the form that had her third in the Breeders' Cup."

Courtlandt Farms' Cache, a daughter of Distorted Humor , will make just her third career start in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. She debuted with a 2 3/4-length win in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Jan. 27 at Gulfstream and was a troubled fifth in the Davona Dale for trainer Mark Hennig, winner of the 2001 Gulfstream Park Oaks (Bonnie Miss) with Tap Dance.

Completing the Gulfstream Park Oaks field are 2017 Tempted Stakes (G3) winner Daisy and Mirhab, second and third, respectively, in the Suncoast; Princess Warrior, second in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at 2 and fourth in the March 2 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream; Richlyn Farm's Silver Bay, a winner of her two career starts, both at Gulfstream Park West, but unraced since the Nov. 11 Juvenile Fillies Sprint Stakes; a trio for Ron Paolucci in Eight Thirtyone, undefeated in two starts at Mahoning Valley, Heavenhasmynikki, fourth in the Forward Gal and third in the Davona Dale, and maiden Tell Your Mama; and Alter Moon, sixth in the Davona Dale.

Entries: Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 31, 2018, Race 12

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:26 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Eight Thirtyone (KY)	Albin Jimenez	122	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
2	2Coach Rocks (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Dale L. Romans	8/1
3	3Take Charge Paula (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	4/1
4	4Cache (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Mark A. Hennig	8/1
5	5Daisy (PA)	John R. Velazquez	122	John C. Servis	9/2
6	6Blonde Bomber (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	122	Stanley I. Gold	6/1
7	7Heavenhasmynikki (OH)	Robby Albarado	122	Anthony T. Quartarolo	12/1
8	8C. S. Incharge (KY)	Chris Landeros	122	Dale L. Romans	6/1
9	9Princess Warrior (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	5/1
10	10Tell Your Mama (KY)	Luis H. Colon	122	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1
11	11Silver Bay (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	William J. Hickey	20/1
12	12Mihrab (KY)	Nik Juarez	122	H. Graham Motion	15/1
13	13Alter Moon (KY)	Jesus M. Rios	122	Jose D. Velez	30/1