Live Lively holds Dreaming of Julia to take Davona Dale

Live Lively ran herself into Kentucky Oaks consideration by taking the Davona Dale (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Lee Lewis’ Live Lively was making her stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2,
$245,000
Davona
Dale at Gulfstream Park and proceeded to lead all the way home as the 2-1
second choice under jockey Joel Rosario. Trained by Mark Hennig, the Medaglia
d’Oro filly set splits of :23 2/5, :46 3/5, 1:10 1/5 and 1:35 1/5 before
finishing 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in 1:42 1/5.

“I figured she’d fall out of there (and go to the lead), it
was just a matter if somebody was going to go with here,” Hennig said. “She’s
got a good turn of foot and she’s never showed us any lack of stamina. I figured
if they tried to run with her it might have been a tall task.

“I was pleased,” he added.
“She couldn’t have prepared any better for this and I was expecting a big race
out of her.”

Live Lively immediately shot to the front when the gates opened and rounded
the turn wide as 4-5 favorite Dreaming of Julia settled a few lengths back in
second down the backstretch. Private Ensign and Lady Banks kept each other
company just in behind, while Twice Told Tale rushed up after breaking in the
air then dropped back to last.

Dreaming of Julia tried to make a run at Live Lively rounding the turn, but
the dark bay miss never faltered, easily turning back her rival while 1 1/2
lengths clear on the wire.

Dreaming of Julia (outside) just could not catch Live Lively in her sophomore bow (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Dreaming of Julia, who was returning in this spot off her first career loss
when third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, had 5 3/4 lengths to spare on third-placer Private
Ensign. Lady Banks rounded out the field after Twice Told Tale was eased
in the stretch.

“I thought she ran extremely well,” said Dreaming of Julia’s trainer,
Todd Pletcher. “We were sort of at the
mercy of the pace scenario, so I think we had to take her out of her comfort
zone earlier than we wanted to try and keep some pressure on the winner. The winner was too good and we were
just second best of the day.

“I was very happy with it, for her first start since
the Breeder’s Cup and spotting six pounds to some quality fillies, I thought it
was a very good effort off the layoff.”

Live Lively paid $6.20, $3.20 and $2.20, and moved her career mark to 3-0-1
from four lifetime starts. The sophomore lass dropped her initial start at
Belmont Park last June, then wasn’t seen again until five months later when she
captured her first win by three parts of a length at Aqueduct. She showed up on
New Year’s Day at Gulfstream to romp by 11 1/4 lengths in an optional claimer,
and had now banked $220,300 in her short career.

Hennig said the Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 30
could be Live Lively’s next start.

“She’s seems to love training at Palm Meadows
and when she comes down here she looks like a picture in the paddock,” he noted.
“She never
gets stirred up by the shipping. I don’t see any point to running around to
another racetrack at this point.”