FIRST LADY STAKES

(Grade 1)

DAYATTHESPA returned to the site of her most important career victory to date in the 2012 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup to pad her CV with a second success at the highest level and crossed the $1-million mark in career earnings in the process.

The striking chesnut gave everything she had in this event 12 months ago and came running late, but could not quite reel in Better Lucky and settled for a close second.

With Javier Castellano staying back in New York for the Belmont card, John Velazquez had the First Lady ride for Chad Brown and settled the second favourite in second as the three-year-old filly Istanford raced freely at the lead.

Knowing he had the less-experienced rival whenever he chose to get her, Velazquez said go with Dayatthespa in the final two furlongs, hand-urged her into the final furlong and was never in serious danger as Better Lucky and Filimbi came running for second and third respectively.

Dayatthespa covered the mile distance 2/5 of a second faster than Wise Dan did two races later on the card in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile.

“She came out of there [starting gate] very well,” said Velazquez, winning the first of his three Grade 1s on the card.

“[One of the owners] told me Chad [Brown] said make sure to drop inside going into that first turn. He didn’t want to be three wide early. She broke really well and the other speed went to the front, so it worked well. I was just holding it together and when I let her go at the quarter pole, she was all fresh. She finished unbelievable, really, really good.”

Dayatthespa is scheduled to sell at the Fasig Tipton November Sale in Kentucky next month.