The stops on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) are taking on extra meaning this weekend at Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Oaklawn Park.
The time is now for 3-year-old fillies to step up or step aside as Oaks qualifying points have jumped to 50-25-15-10-5 to the first five finishers.
The $225,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream on Saturday is a race that should be followed closely by bettors looking for their Oak horse to go along with their Kentucky Derby (G1) pick (yes, there’s an Oaks-Derby wager).
The 1-mile Davona Dale Stakes is a step up in distance for most of the nine fillies entered. The competitive group is headlined by 9-5 favorite On Time Girl, who looks to solidify her position as a leading Oaks contender after a dominant start to her 2026 campaign.
Trained by Brad Cox, the homebred for the Albaugh Family Stables, has won four of her five career starts. A daughter of Not This Time, she comes into the race off a commanding three-length victory in the 7 furlongs Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream on Jan. 31, which earned her 20 Oaks qualifying points.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” stable racing manager and Dennis Albaugh’s son-in-law, Jason Loutsch, said. “We know she’ll run hard. Will it be good enough? We sure hope so. There hasn’t been a race where she’s thrown in a clunker yet, so we’re excited about it.”
The added distance is the next logical step following her recent win as the Oaks stretches out to 1 1/8 miles. With her ability to rate behind the pace, this looks like a breakout race for this talented filly.
“It was very impressive,’’ Loutsch said of the Forward Gal victory. “Obviously, this weekend is a whole different animal. There are some really good fillies in there. I’m very happy with her drawing. There’s a lot of speed in the race, and she’s so tactical, I think she’ll be able to sit wherever Irad (Ortiz, Jr.) wants her. She’s got that ‘on’ button that, when it’s time to go, she just takes off, like the last race. I think it’s going to be very important to get a good spot.”
Her only loss came in the Myrtlewood Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 24 when she was edged in the stretch by A Fine Chardonnay, a filly she beat next time out in the Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29.
Cox also sends out Paradise, making her third start.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Swing Vote (3-1) makes just her third start following her third-place debut on Dec. 28 and her maiden win on Jan. 28, both at Gulfstream. Junior Alvarado has the mount out of gate 7.
Imperatrice (8-1), trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, finished second to On Time Girl in the Forward Gal and is back for another shot. The filly broke her maiden at a mile on Dec. 13 at Gulfstream in her second start before beaten by On Time Girl, who passed her in the stretch of the Forward Gal. Hall of Famer John Velazquez rides from post 5. Pletcher also sends out She Be Smooth from post 8 under Flavien Prat.
“I’m pleased with the post positions for both of them. I think Imperatrice will be forwardly placed and having drawn toward the outside with She Be Smooth gives Flavien the option to survey how the race is unfolding.”
Let’s keep Haute Diva (15-1) in mind, too. Winner of the Cash Run Stakes over this course and distance, she’s already well seasoned with two wins and four seconds in seven career starts for trainer Patrick Biancone. Her two wins and four runner-up finishes have all come at Gulfstream.
The Davona Dale Stakes is race 11 (post time 4:34 p.m. ET) on a card headlined by the $425,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), a Derby prep with 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points on the line for the top five finishers.
The Davona Dale Stakes should have a fast pace, which would allow On Time Girl to show her versatility by sitting off the leaders before striking in the stretch.
The race is named for the champion 3-year-old filly of 1979. Davona Dale was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1985, and the race was inaugurated in 1988. Davona Dale won the 1979 Kentucky Oaks, then went on to sweep the New York Triple Tiara series: the Acorn Stakes, the Mother Goose Stakes, and the Coaching Club American Oaks. She’s the only filly to win the Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, and the Triple Tiara.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
