East Against West Appetizer in Gulfstream Oaks

Although the main event on Gulfstream's Saturday card features an 'east versus west' battle of unbeaten sophomore colts, the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks provides a similar geographical battle among 3-year-old fillies midway through the card. Newtown Anner Stud and J Stables' local heroine Off the Tracks (Curlin) puts her unblemished record on the line in her first try around two turns, squaring off against last term's GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner Gomo (Uncle Mo), who invades from California.

Off the Tracks makes her first start around two turns and first start for trainer Todd Pletcher after Newtown Anner Stud purchased a majority interest in the filly last month. The bay broke her maiden at first asking here last June and shipped north to capture the GIII Schuylerville S. one month later. Sidelined for the remainder of the year, Off the Tracks returned to action a sharp winner of the Margate H. in Hallandale Feb. 21–her final start under the care of trainer Roderick Rodriguez. Pletcher took over the filly's training four days later, and she has posted four workouts at Palm Beach Downs in the interim.

“We've been very impressed by the filly overall,” trainer Todd Pletcher told the Gulfstream Park press team. “She's a big, strong, imposing sort that trains very willingly. Her breezes have been good and her record obviously speaks for itself. It would seem with a pedigree like hers that the stretch out in distance should suit her well. We're looking forward to running her.”

If Off the Tracks' biggest asset his her natural speed, Gomo demonstrated a distinct ability to rally from just off the pace as a juvenile. Runner-up in the GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar in August, the bay used a third-place finish in the Oceanside oval's Juvenile Fillies Turf S. as a springboard to a triumph in the Alcibiades over a sloppy Keeneland track Oct. 2. Unraced for the remainder of 2015 with a chipped ankle, the Doug O'Neill trainee was a late supplemental nominee for this race, joining stablemate Nyquist (Uncle Mo) on the cross-country flight from Southern California.

“We were debating over the Santa Anita Oaks against Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro), which wasn't real exciting, or bringing her out to Gulfstream, which we decided to do,” O'Neill said. “We're excited about it. She's a super talented filly by Uncle Mo and we're optimistic that she can run a big race on Saturday.”

Two other fillies who were supplemental nominations to the Oaks loom as some of the more viable alternatives to the favorites. Mike Tarp's Go Maggie Go (Ghostzapper) drew off smartly to capture her six-furlong unveiling here Mar. 13, while D J Stable's Mo' Green (Uncle Mo) pulled a 17-1 trip-and-track upset score two weeks earlier.

Double Entendre (American Lion) drew off to annex her career debut by eight widening lengths at Sam Houston Race Park Feb. 29, and was subsequently privately purchased by Loooch Racing Stables, Glenn K. Ellis and Hugh Moore and transferred to the care of trainer Peter Walder. The filly got acquainted with the local surface with a four-panel breeze in :49.66 [9/28] Mar. 26.

Paola Queen (Flatter), a wire-to-wire graduate going seven furlongs in Hallandale Feb. 14, and Hold On Momma (Hold Me Back), fourth in an optional claimer at Tampa Feb. 21, complete the field.