DAYATTHESPA brought Bradley Thoroughbreds and partners to the Breeders’ Cup last season, and after an easy-as-you-please first stakes victory at Gulfstream today, the daughter of City Zip looks poised to provide plenty more thrills in 2012. The chestnut was the public’s 7-5 choice to kick off her 3-year-old year with a victory in the one-mile, $100,000 Sweetest Chant S., and she didn’t let them down. A slow start left her in an uncharacteristic spot at the back of the pack, but she began to take closer order down the backstretch and into the far turn. Jockey Javier Castellano fanned her wide and let her loose in the lane, and DAYATTHESPA did the rest, bounding clear despite running a bit greenly and winning by a facile 1 3/4 lengths. The final time was 1:34 2/5, and she earned a 95 BRIS figure for the win. DAYATTHESPA, purchased by BT’s Pete Bradley for $50,000 as a yearling, is trained by Chad Brown. Runner-up in last year’s GIII Natalma S., DAYATTHESPA now has a record of 4-2-1-0 and earnings of just under $125,000. (Dayatthespa chart 1-22-12)
