Klaravich Stables' Ways and Means returns March 30 from a near seven-month layoff as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).
The bay daughter of Practical Joke has not run since finishing a troubled second by a half-length to WSS Racing's Brightwork in the seven-furlong Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course Sept. 3. Off slowly, she was cut off down the backstretch, resulting in her being checked by Flavien Prat and clipping heels.
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She broke her maiden in her only other start, a 12 3/4-length win in a maiden special weight there Aug. 6.
Ways and Means, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., will break from post 4 in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies for the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Mark Hennig-trained Gun Song, daughter of Gun Runner , is the 4-1 second choice. She will start from post 6 under John Velazquez.
R. Lee Lewis' Gun Song, 2-1-1 in four career starts, is coming off a victory in a one-mile allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park Feb. 9.
Hennig opted to skip Gulfstream's one-mile Davona Dale Stakes (G2) March 2 and point for the Oaks, a race he won in 2001 with Tap Dance.
"She's out of a pure sprinter and yet she's a real leggy filly," Hennig said of the daughter of Gun Runner out of the Mr. Greeley mare Nicole H. "I always kind of felt like she wanted to stretch out, so I was happy to see the way she performed when we got her out to a mile. Hopefully when we stretch to two turns, she does the same."
Davona Dale Top Two Return
The winner and runner-up in the one-mile Davona Dale also are in the Gulfstream Park Oaks field.
Stonehedge's Fiona's Magic, who prevailed in the Davona Dale, will start in post 8 under jockey Jorge Ruiz. The dark bay or brown daughter of St Patrick's Day is 6-1 after having been first or second in all five of her starts.
"She's going into the race well. She came out of her last race really good and she's been training really nice," trainer Michael Yates said. "We've pretty much followed the same (plan) going into this race as I did into the last race. We breezed (her) in company and thought (she) worked really well."
Six Column Stables, Randall Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis, and Michael Steele's Into Champagne, second by a half-length in the Davona Dale, is 5-1 with rider Julien Leparoux from post 5. Ian Wilkes trains the filly who went unraced for 206 days before returning with a 1 1/4-length triumph in the six-furlong Glitter Woman Stakes Jan. 7 at Gulfstream.
Rounding Out the Field
Repole Stable's Scalable (6-1) will start from the outside post under Jose Ortiz. In her last outing, the Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Speightstown was fourth in the seven-furlong Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Feb. 3.
Lea Farms' Power Squeeze, trained by Jorge Delgado, will break from the inside post. The 8-1 choice will be ridden by Daniel Centeno.
The Gulfstream Park Oaks field is rounded out by 10-1 Do Gooder, 30-1 Neom City, and 30-1 America's Vow.
Part of the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) card, the Gulfstream Park Oaks awards Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 30, 2024, Race 11Entries: Gulfstream Park Oaks Presented by FanDuel TV (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Power Squeeze (KY) Daniel Centeno 122 Jorge Delgado 8/1 2 2Do Gooder (KY) Javier Castellano 122 Jena M. Antonucci 10/1 3 3Neom City (FL) Joe Bravo 122 Nader Moubarak 30/1 4 4Ways and Means (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Chad C. Brown 8/5 5 5Into Champagne (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 122 Ian R. Wilkes 5/1 6 6Gun Song (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Mark A. Hennig 4/1 7 7America's Vow (KY) Paco Lopez 122 Timothy E. Hamm 30/1 8 8Fiona's Magic (FL) Jorge Ruiz 122 Michael Yates 6/1 9 9Scalable (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1
