By Joe Bianca
Robert and Lawana Low's $1.05-million 'TDN Rising Star' Spice Is Nice (Curlin), an impressive 12-length victress on debut, will take her first big step toward the GI Kentucky Oaks as a probable favorite in Saturday's one-mile GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream.
A daughter of GISW Dame Dorothy (Bernardini), the chestnut was bet strongly to be 11-10 at the off debuting over track and trip Jan. 12 and did not disappoint, squeezing through a narrow rail opening on the turn and rocketing away to a powerful graduation. She has drilled four times since that unveiling at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base, most recently going a half-mile in :49 flat (11/24) Feb. 22.
A trio of unbeaten fillies loom as Spice Is Nice's main foes, led by four-for-four Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist). Rallying to a local 19-1 upset first out for Juan Avila Sept. 28, the chestnut was privately purchased and transferred to the scorching Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn. Annexing a Gulfstream West allowance Oct. 20, she repeated by nine lengths in the track-and-trip Hut Hut S. Nov. 30 and scored as a prohibitive favorite in the GIII Forward Gal S. here Feb. 1, albeit with just a 70 Beyer, 19 points lower than her Hut Hut number. Tonalist's Shape will have her fifth different jockey in five starts Saturday, with Tyler Gaffalione taking over for Saudi Arabia-bound Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Belladonna Racing's Bayerness (Bayern) looks to give trainer Cherie DeVaux her first stakes success. Rallying to a sharp 4 1/4-length debut triumph despite a troubled start Oct. 18 at Keeneland, the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic buy repeated in a sloppy-track optional claimer going this trip Nov. 30 at Churchill and has breezed swiftly at Payson Park for this sophomore bow, capping preparations with a half-mile spin in :49 2/5 (2/21) Feb. 22.
Len and Jon Green's Chart (Lea) debuted as a favorite going six furlongs Jan. 19 at Tampa and ran to the money with a 5 1/4-length graduation. The rail-drawn bay shows four sharp breezes in Oldsmar since for trainer Gary Contessa, including a five-panel work in 1:00 flat (1/28) Feb. 9. Jon Green reported on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast that Chart may scratch to run in Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 7.
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