Susie Raisher Photo

Brown has three chances to win record-extending 10th G2 Miss Grillo

by Mary Eddy

No trainer has won the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo more than Chad Brown, and the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner will have three chances to secure his 10th win in Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies at Belmont at the Big A with Virgin Colada, Opulent Restraint and Marvelous Madison.

The Miss Grillo offers a “Win and You’re In” berth for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 1 at Del Mar. Brown, who has won the Juvenile Fillies Turf a record six times, used the Miss Grillo as a springboard to that event on five occasions, including with Maram [2008], Lady Eli [2014], New Money Honey [2016], Newspaperofrecord [2018] and Hard To Justify [2023].

Resolute Racing’s Virgin Colada [post 1, Flavien Prat] makes her second attempt at her first stakes conquest on the heels of a half-length second in the Listed P.G. Johnson going the Miss Grillo distance on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course. There, she stalked in fifth-of-8 under Flavien Prat as Second Chance cruised through easy splits of 24.80 seconds, 50.28 and 1:15.03 over the firm footing.

Virgin Colada made a move in the final turn to pick off rivals with a five-wide rally and responded well to urging, but could not reel in the victorious Totally Justified. The effort was awarded a 64 Beyer Speed Figure.

“There was no pace in the race and she was really compromised by it,” Brown said. “She came with a nice run, and I think with more pace in the race she’ll run her best.”

The daughter of More Than Ready impressed on debut with a deep-closing rally that yielded a half-length victory in a July 21 maiden going the same distance at the Spa, finishing one length ahead of third-place finisher and returning rival Rare Art in a close three-way finish.

“She seems to be doing everything right and is primed for her third start, which should be her best,” Brown added.

A $110,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, Virgin Colada is out of the unraced Carpe Diem mare Episcopal, a half-sister to dual-surface Grade 1-winner Catholic Boy.

Stephanie Seymour Brant’s Opulent Restraint [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] makes her stakes debut off a second-out graduation on September 1 at the Spa, stalking and pouncing to the lead at the stretch call and battling on gamely under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to win by a half-length over Good Long Cry. The win produced a 70 Beyer, a two-point improvement from the figure she earned for a close fourth on debut in July.

“The first race I don’t think I had her fit enough in hindsight,” Brown said. “Her second race was good and I think she’ll move forward.”

Opulent Restraint is out of the Brown-trained multiple graded stakes-winner Significant Form, who won the Miss Grillo [then a Grade 3] in 2017.

Completing the Brown contingent is Lawrence Goichman’s New York homebred Marvelous Madison [post 9, Manny Franco]. The Caravaggio gray enters from a debut graduation sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs against fellow state-breds on September 1 at the Spa, where she overcame a bumpy beginning to rally from off the pace and win by a half-length over Wild Mischief.

Brown said he is confident Marvelous Madison will appreciate more ground.

“I ended up sprinting her and didn’t really want to, but the longer race wasn’t going and got rained out a couple times,” Brown explained. “I think she’ll stretch out effectively.”

Out of the stakes-placed Street Sense mare Shea Darby, Marvelous Madison is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Shawdyshwadyshawdy, as well as stakes-placed runners No Salt and Just Step On It.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out D.J. Stable’s stakes-winner Shifty [post 7, Jose Ortiz] off a dominant pacesetting win to graduate at second asking in the Listed Catch a Glimpse on August 23 at Woodbine.

"She ran to the way she trained,” Casse said. “We thought she was one our better fillies and that's why we ran her as a maiden in the stake."

The Medaglia d’Oro bay was never in doubt in the 6 1/2-furlong Catch a Glimpse, taking a two-length advantage early and easily turning back a brief challenge from Bound to Be True. She drew off strongly in the lane to complete the course in 1:15.68 and earned a field-best 85 Beyer for the win.

Casse said he had considered running the talented filly in the Grade 1 Natalma on September 14 at Woodbine [Casse won with And One More Time], but opted to skip it to keep her separate from other horses for the same ownership.

"We gave her a little more time. I already had two horses in the Natalma for D.J. Stable with Vixen [2nd] and Nitrogen [3rd] and we didn't want to run all three together,” Casse explained. “We decided to give her a little bit more time and go to the Miss Grillo. Of all our 2-year-old fillies, she's been as impressive as anybody."

Shifty has worked at Saratoga twice since her win, including a sizzling bullet in 46.60 seconds over the Oklahoma training turf on Friday.

"She got excited and took off,” Casse said. “I was telling him [the rider] to slow down, slow down, but that's just the way she does things. She's pretty impressive. She did that even with saying, 'hold on, slow down, slow up' after about a quarter-mile. She got away pretty quick and he was just sitting on her the entire way."

Bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms, Shifty was a $350,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and stallion Big Runnuer. She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Elusive Luci, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Stormy Lucy.

The undefeated May Day Ready [post 3, Frankie Dettori] also seeks back-to-back stakes wins after a 1 3/4-length win in the one-mile Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies on September 8 at its namesake track.

Trained by Joe Lee for owner KatieRich Stables, the Tapit bay was patiently ridden in sixth in the two-path by returning pilot Frankie Dettori before angling four-wide to make her bid for the lead with three-quarters to run. She drove home gamely to land the 1 3/4-length win over Bellavinino in a final time of 1:35.36 and was awarded a 65 Beyer.

May Day Ready’s career-best number came with a 68 she earned for a gritty nose victory when rallying from ninth-of-10 in an August 4 maiden traveling the Miss Grillo distance at Saratoga. She was a $325,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Group 3-winning More Than Ready mare Nemoralia.

Calumet Farm’s Kentucky homebred Correto [post 4, Jorge Ruiz] was a winner of her September 1 debut at Kentucky Downs, earning the victory by 1 3/4 lengths after a well-timed ride engineered by returning pilot Jorge Ruiz.

Trained by Graham Motion, the English Channel chestnut was well-rated in third in the early stages and was sent three-wide in search of command in the turn. She responded professionally and completed the seven furlongs in 1:23.24 over 11 rivals.

Out of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Spooky Kitten, Correto is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Spooky Channel, as well as dual stakes-placed Sun Bee.

Completing the field are the maiden-winners Annie Goodbody [post 2, Romero Maragh] for trainer Pat Reynolds, Grace and Grit [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer John Kimmel, Good Conduct [post 6, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Cherie DeVaux, Salt [post 10, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Kevin Attard, Scythian [post 11, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and Rare Art [post 12, Joel Rosario] for trainer Tony Dutrow.

Pookie is listed as also-eligible.

The Miss Grillo is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s nine-race card, which co-features the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom in Race 2. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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