$1.5 million purchase Center Aisle wins on debut at Gulfstream

One year after being purchased for $1.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream March sale, OXO Equine LLC’s Center Aisle debuted with a thoroughly professional 3 ¾ -length victory Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Chad Brown, the daughter of Into Mischief did everything right in the fourth race, a six-furlong maiden special weight event for 3-year-old fillies, breaking alertly and rating behind a pair of early speed horses, before kicking in on the turn into the homestretch and drawing clear to the wire in hand.

“She broke well. There were two horses who really wanted to get the lead. I took a little hold and she did the rest,” jockey Joel Rosario said. “It was a nice performance for her first time out, very impressive.”

Sent to post as the 3-5 favorite in a full field of well-bred, well-connected fillies, Center Aisle ran six furlongs in 1:10.11.

Center Aisle is out of Specification, a daughter of Empire Maker whose dam was a multiple graded-stakes winner trained by Bobby Frankel, Brown’s late mentor.

In the sixth race, a seven-furlong maiden special weight event for 3-year-olds, St. Elias Stable’s Dr Post scored a 1 ¼-length victory in his first start since finishing fourth in his debut at Belmont last July.

The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Quality Road ($4) stalked pacesetting stablemate Nocturnal into the stretch before edging away to victory under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, completing seven furlongs in 1:22.37.