La Cara Enters Saturday’s G2 Davona Dale off Jaw-Dropping Win

Casse Trainee Favored in a Field of 7 3-Year-Old Fillies

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Having campaigned a long, long list of Thoroughbred stars during his Hall of Fame career, trainer Mark Casse isn’t so easily impressed.

Tracy Farmer’s homebred La Cara, though, managed to grab her trainer’s full attention when she prepped for Saturday’s $215,000 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream with a jaw-dropping triumph in the Feb. 8 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in her 3-year-old debut.

“I just sitting there watching her run with my mouth open,” Casse said. “I thought she was extremely impressive. She trained really good going into the race, so we were expecting a big effort. She ran fast and she did it easy.”

La Cara has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered in the one-turn mile Davona Dale, one of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $2.15 million in purses on Saturday’s 14-race program that will be headlined by the $415,000 Fountain of Youth (G2). The Davona Dale will offer Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-3 scale.

La Cara made such an impression on her trainer that Casse has opted to bring her back on three-weeks rest in the Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park with an eye on the spring classics for 3-year-old fillies.

“The Davona Dale comes back pretty quick for us, but I’m trying to set her up and getting her ready for the Ashland and hopefully the Kentucky Oaks,” Casse said. “She’s already in South Florida, so we’ll just stay at home.”

As a 2-year-old, La Cara raced six times, breaking her maiden by 8 lengths at Saratoga, winning the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs, and finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar in October.

Although Casse may have some reservations about running La Cara back a little quickly, he is confident that the Davona Dale will set his filly up perfectly for the April 4 Ashland at Keeneland, a final prep for the Kentucky Oaks.

“If I didn’t run her back in three weeks and didn’t go back to a mile, I would have had to ship somewhere,” Casse said. “I like the timing. I like the Davona Dale being five weeks until the Ashland.”

Dylan Davis has the return call aboard La Cara.

C2 Racing Stable LLC and Mathis Stable LLC’s The Queen’s M G will also bring graded-stakes credentials into the Davona Dale, having captured the 6 ½-furlong Adirondack Stakes (G3) at Saratoga last summer. The daughter of Thousand Words is rated third at 5-2 on the morning line.

The Queen’s M G is scheduled to make her second start of 2025 after returning with a third-place finish in the Feb. 1 Forward Gal (G2) at Gulfstream.

“Her last race indicated that she’s trained on,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I knew we didn’t have her fully cranked, so I feel like she will improve this time big-time.”

The Queen’s M G, who also captured the six-furlong Schuylerville at Saratoga, has yet to try two turns and will stay around one turn in the Davona Dale.

“I think a mile will be fine for her,” Joseph said.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has been awarded the return mount.

Grade 2 stakes-placed Ballerina d’Oro is scheduled to make her 2025 debut in the Davona Dale. Rodeo Creek Racing LLC’s daughter of Medaglia d’Oro concluded her 2-year-old campaign with an off-the-pace second-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle (G2) Dec. 7 at Aqueduct.

The Chad Brown trainee had won one of three races on turf before taking to the dirt for the first time in the Demoiselle.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride Ballerina d’Oro for the first time Saturday.

Lugamo Racing Stable LLC’s Frida will seek to improve upon a fifth-place finish in the Forward Gal. The Jose D’Angelo-trained daughter of City of Light entered the Forward Gal off a dominating 5 ¾-length maiden romp Jan. 3.

Emisael Jaramillo will be back aboard Frida Saturday.

Just For Fun Stable Inc.’s My Denysse and Baron Thoroughbreds LLC’s Madeline’s Promise and Quinn’s Promise round out the field.