Dayatthespa Headed to Fasig-Tipton

The winner of Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf, Dayatthespa (City Zip), was settling in at Fasig-Tipton yesterday after an early morning flight from Southern California. “She got here at 1 p.m., came off the van and has been doing this since,” said Lane’s End’s Allaire Ryan, pointing to Dayatthespa grazing at few feet away. The 5-year-old, who sells from Lane’s End as Hip 184, was alert but relaxed as onlookers snapped photos. “The classy ones are like that,” added Ryan. “They’ll do it all. This time yesterday she was running her eyeballs out, and now she’s just picking on some grass.” 

Dayatthespa was a 5-1 chance in the Breeders’ Cup coming off a driving victory in the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland Oct. 4. She ran second in her belated seasonal debut facing New York-breds at Saratoga Aug. 2 before an easy win over Grade I winner Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat) in the restricted Yaddo S. Aug. 24. 

“I know the goal of the partners was to get her to the Breeders’ Cup,” said Ryan. “They got a late start on her after giving her a well-deserved break, and she’s just done everything they’ve asked of her. Everybody knew that the mile was her thing and that she was great at it, but for her to stretch out the way she did in the Breeders’ Cup was so impressive.”

Fasig officials were a little nervous Saturday when one of the co-owners of Dayatthespa intimated from the winner’s circle that the filly might be kept to race another year. But in the end, the partners, which include Jerry and Ronald Frankel, Steve Laymon and Pete Bradley’s Bradley Thoroughbreds, decided to keep the engagement at Newtown Paddocks. 

“She’s here to sell, but it is bittersweet when you have a filly like this, and all that she’s done for you,” said Pete Bradley, who himself arrived in Lexington late in the afternoon. “Do you keep her and try her for another year since she’s at top of game? But it’s a big partnership, and the plan has always been to sell her at the end of her 5-year-old year.” 

Bradley said he “couldn’t see any reason why” Dayatthespa couldn’t be returned to the track at six. “She’s had an amazing career, but I think her last two races have really been her best,” he said.