Just before midstretch She Be Smooth flashed another gear to surge past a pair of dueling leaders and quickly open up to register a 6-length victory in the $205,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
In that flash the Calumet Farm homebred moved from "promising second-time starter" to Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender as she overwhelmed six other talented 3-year-old fillies. In rallying from last of seven with a quarter-mile remaining to win the one-turn mile test, the daughter of Lexitonian pocketed 50 qualifying points toward the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks.
"Certainly that's what we were here for, to try and get some points," said trainer Todd Pletcher, who picked up his fourth Davona Dale 20 years after his first when Wait a While captured the race on her way to a 3-year-old filly championship. "We'll see how she comes out of it and come up with a plan for the next start, but the Oaks is the goal."
In Saturday's race, Omaha Bay, who entered off a front-running score in her December debut, broke well and led the field through a quarter-mile in :23.48 and a half-mile in :46.15 while pressed by Imperatrice and longshot My Miss Mo. Midway through the turn Omaha Bay and My Miss Mo opened some room on the field and took their battle into the stretch.
That's where She Be Smooth, who had saved ground early under reigning two-time Eclipse Award winner Flavien Prat, moved four wide to set up her winning stretch move to complete the mile in 1:37.78. She paid $13.60 to win. The dominating victory followed a career debut maiden victory Jan. 23 at the same distance at Gulfstream.
"She's been very impressive in both of her starts here," Pletcher said. "She seems to be steadily improving. I think the more distance the better for her. We thought we might get a good pace setup. I told Flavien to be patient with her, that she'd deliver a good late run. He gave her a beautiful ride. He was able to save ground around the turn and then angle out at the top of the stretch and she finished really nicely."
"I didn't want to use her, but all of a sudden she pulled back, farther back than I was expecting," Prat said. "It felt like the pace was good. That's when I gave her a chance, and when I asked her, she gave me her run."
Rounding out the top five finishers in the race that awards Kentucky Oaks points on a 50-25-15-10-5 schedule were My Miss Mo, favorite On Time Girl, Omaha Bay, and Haute Diva.
Kentucky Oaks qualifying points standings
The victory would prove a big one for winning owner/breeder Calumet Farm as She Be Smooth is the first graded stakes winner for second-crop sire Lexitonian, who stands at Calumet Farm. She Be Smooth is out of 2009 Ogden Phipps Handicap (G1) winner Seattle Smooth, by Quiet American. While She Be Smooth is her dam's first stakes winner, the mare has produced seven winners from eight starters, including grade 3-placed Seattle Slang.
Lexitonian, who also boasts 2025 stakes winners Revera, Fire and Wine, and Ritzaphena, stands for $7,500 at Calumet Farm near Lexington.
