As widely expected, Dayatthespa made a successful return to the races at Belmont Park on Sunday, laying just off early pacesetter My Jopia to the far turn, taking command on the turn, and shrugging off a challenge from Kibosh to win the $90,000 You Go West Girl Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares.
Making her first start since spooking in the early going of last fall’s Matriarch and sustaining a gashed right foreleg attempting to leap the inner rail, Dayatthespa ($2.50), a multiple graded stakes winner at 3, including the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II over Centre Court, got a nice confidence builder in scoring decisively beneath Javier Castellano, who kept the daughter of City Zip to a drive while widening late.
“It was a small group, but she was coming off a layoff and I didn’t want to hook up and get into a speed duel in the first part of the race,” said Castellano. “She settled beautiful…she responded and did everything the right way today.”
Dayatthespa improved to 7-1-0 from 10 starts for trainer Chad Brown, after running one mile in 1:33.52 over a very firm turf course.
“We were lucky to get her back,” said Brown. “She had a difficult experience in the Matriarch where she tried to jump the rail. For a moment we were considering retiring her. We didn’t think she would come back good. I’ll probably run her back in the Just a Game [June 8] if she comes out of the race good.”
Kibosh was clearly second best over Elusive Rumour. My Jopia faded to fourth, followed by Mystic City, as the field of five finished in parimutuel order.
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