HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla,. – The winter of 2021 started off just fine for trainer Robert “Butch” Reid Jr. and the connections of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly winner Vequist after she was named the 2020 Eclipse Award champion in her division, as expected, in January. But with visions of the Kentucky Oaks dancing in their heads, Vequist’s Florida vacation went downhill from there, culminating with her disastrous effort in the Grade 3 Davona Dale when finishing ninth, beaten 26 lengths, as the prohibitive 1-2 favorite here Feb. 27. Reid wasted very little time getting his filly out of south Florida after that, sending her to the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland where he reported on Friday that all is well with the reigning 2-year-old filly champion after having spent much of the past month back in the cooler climate. “She really didn’t prosper down there in Florida,” Reid said. “Although she worked fast, she seemed to struggle with the heat and humidity. Her coat started to blossom about a week before the Davona Dale, which is why we ran her. But she scoped dirty with a lot of mucus in her lungs after the race. So we brought her up here to Bruce Jackson, who has a pretty extensive equine therapy facility at Fair Hill, and he worked on her thoroughly to clear up the congestion in her lungs. Right now, she looks fantastic and is dappled from ear to ear.” :: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now. Reid said Vequist is scheduled to have a little blowout Saturday at Fair Hill and if all goes well, she’ll return to her regular home with her trainer’s main string at Parx Racing. “I’d like to get her back to Parx as soon as we can, over a track that is familiar to both of us,” Reid said. Reid said that while he hasn’t ruled the Oaks out 100 percent, there is very little chance Vequist could be ready in time to go after the first major goal originally penciled on her 3-year-old calendar. “Realistically, it’s hard to see her doing enough over the next three weeks to make me lean towards running her in the Oaks,” Reid said. “But obviously we haven’t lost any faith in her off just the one bad race and we’re looking forward to getting her back on the trail for the big races still to come later in the year.”