Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Honest pace will be key for Fly So High
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – As is often the case at this time of year, the first topic of conversation when visiting trainer Shug McGaughey’s barn is his beloved Kentucky Wildcats and their prospects in the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament. The second, however, hits a lot closer to home – the prospects of his promising 3-year-old filly Fly So High winning Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park.
Fly So High will go postward the likely favorite against seven rivals in the one-mile Davona Dale. The field also includes recent Grade 3 winner Take Charge Paula along with Miss Mo Mentum, Sunny Skies, Sultry, Cache, and the speedy pair of Alter Moon and Heavenhasmynikki.
Fly So High is coming off a pair of one-sided victories, both at a mile, including a first-level optional claimer here on Jan. 4, which she won by 5 1/2 lengths with a field-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure. McGaughey believes Fly So High is capable of moving forward again on Saturday.
“This will be another stepping-stone going from a one-other-than into a graded stakes, but she’s trained well since her last race, blew out pretty good [at Payson Park] on Monday, and I liked what I saw when she schooled down here during the week,” said McGaughey. “She’s developing the right way and I’m expecting a better race this time than in the allowance race, which came up a little quicker than I really wanted to run her back.”
What McGaughey said he needs most is an honest pace for his stretch-running filly. Jose Ortiz has ridden Fly So High in all three of her races and will be aboard on Saturday.
“Jose did a good job getting her to the outside last time, but she’s got an outside post for this one,” said McGaughey. “There looks like there’s some speed in this field, which is good, because she is going to need a lot of pace.”
McGaughey is also looking down the road a bit with Fly So High, to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.
“She’s a big filly and I think she’s going to be a lot better around two turns,” said McGaughey. “Win, lose, or draw, as long as she runs her race in here and moves forward, I’ll be happy. Our dream would be for her to be an Oaks horse, but I’m not going to force her into there, either.”
Under the allowance conditions of the Grade 2 Davona Dale, Fly So High will be the beneficiary of a six-pound weight concession from Take Charge Paula, who has won her last three starts, including Gulfstream’s Grade 3 Forward Gal by 3 1/2 lengths four weeks ago. Take Charge Paula, a daughter of Take Charge Indy, was purchased privately by Peter Deutsch and turned over to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin prior to the start of her 3-yearold campaign. She has yet to win beyond seven furlongs.
“She had one bad run around two turns but had a troubled trip that day, so we’re going to throw that out,” said McLaughlin. “She’s a very nice filly and 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.”
Miss Mo Mentum won the Hut Hut Stakes at a mile by an easy-as-can-be 8 3/4 lengths over a sloppy track here in her 2-year-old finale, but turned in a dull effort when sixth behind Take Charge Paula in the Forward Gal.
“She was disappointing last time,” said trainer Mark Casse. “I’m not sure what it was – maybe she was just a little closer than she wants to be going seven-eighths, or maybe she’s just not good enough. One mile is her game, so we’ll see.”
Sunny Skies also posted her lone stakes tally over a wet track in the Debutante last summer at Churchill Down. She has lost all three subsequent starts, but was third in the Grade 2 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs making her two-turn debut in September.
The stretch-running Sultry finished a wide second while no match for Take Charge Paula in the Forward Gal, and could appreciate the added distance in the rematch.