So what if it’s the middle of the week? There’s a couple of Breeders’ Cup all fees-paid berths on the line Wednesday (Oct. 4) at Aqueduct Racetrack, the $200,000 Pilgrim (G2) for 2-year-olds and the $200,000 Miss Grillo for 2-year-old fillies.
The 1 1/16-mile turf races, originally carded for Friday (Sept. 30), were rescheduled due to heavy rains and hazardous conditions. Weather won’t be a problem on Wednesday with the forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s.
Casa Creeds trainer Billy Mott
The Miss Grillo features Gala Brand, winner of the With Anticipation (G3) at Saratoga on Aug. 31. The chestnut filly is 2-for-2 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 12. Jose Ortiz has the mount out of post 8.
“She seems to be doing well,’’ Mott said.
Impressive Trainer Streak: Gala Brand’s Victory and Breeders’ Cup Implications
The trainer has been on a roll over the past few months. Gala Brand was rerouted to the With Anticipation against the boys after the P.G. Johnson Stakes was moved off the turf the day before. He also won that race with Magic Cross.
Gala Brand rallied from last to first going eight wide to beat Carson’s Run by a half-length in the With Anticipation.
Mott credited Arnmore Thoroughbreds’ CEO Megan Jones for nominating the filly to both races.
“It couldn’t have worked out better this summer with her and Magic Cross,’’ Mott said. “It was a great couple of days. Megan made sure we were nominated for both races and had that option. She was very smart.”
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has three fillies in the race, Life’s an Audible at 8-1, and Appellate and Later Darling, both 15-1.
The winner gains an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.
The picks: 1 Gala Brand 2 Memorialize 3 Sierra Sky
The field for the $200,000 Miss Grillo (G2), from the rail out with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Appellate (Trevor McCarthy, Todd Pletcher), 15-1
2 Hard to Justify (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown), 10-1
3 Life’s an Audible (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher), 8-1
4 Gold Lightning (Joel Rosario, Brad Cox), 10-1
5 Dancing Spirit (Kendrick Carmouche, A Rice), 10-1
6 Camila T (Carlos Olivero, Jose Avila), 6-1
7 Memorialize (Manny Franco, H Graham Motion), 5-1
8 Gala Brand (Jose Ortiz, Bill Mott), 3-1
9 Sierra Sky (Javier Castellano, Mark Casse), 12-1
10 Later Darling (Dylan Davis, Todd Pletcher), 15-1
11 Whimsically (Junior Alvarado, Cherie DeVaux), 20-1
12 Steel Lute (Jose Lezcano, Chad Brown), 12-1
The Pilgrim
Todd Pletcher sends out two of the nine horses in the field for the Pilgrim, 3-1 morning-line favorite Agate Road and 4-1 second choice Triple Expresso.
Agate Road was beaten a nose in his debut on dirt, then won by a neck on turf in his second start at Saratoga on Sept. 2. A son of Quality Road, the colt staged a wide rally in the stretch, avoided some bumping inside of him, and edged Stolen Magic for the win under Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Agate Road in Saratoga
Ortiz has he call again leaving from post 3.
Triple Espresso finished second in his debut, the Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs on Sept. 2. Jose Ortiz rides out of post 7.
The winner claims a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Santa Anita on Nov. 3. Three of the last seven Pilgrim winners went on to take the Juvenile Turf — Oscar Performance in 2016, Structor in 2019, and Fire At Will in 2020.
“His last breeze was very good. He’s training well and came out of his race in good order,” Pletcher said of Agate Road. “He got a very wide trip, which maybe turned out to be a blessing with all that was going on at the eighth pole. Turning for home, I thought he had way too much to do, and he really kicked in late. He’s had a little bit of experience, so hopefully that pays dividends.”
Triple Espresso likely will stage a rally of his own. At Colonial Downs, the son of Omaha Beach was 12th of 13 before a huge rally that earned him second, 1 ¼ lengths behind Tok Tok.
Others worth a look include Spirit Prince (9-2), third in the With Anticipation for trainer Christophe Clement, and Get Spooled (8-1), fourth in the With Anticipation for Bill Mott.
The picks: 1 Spirit Prince 2 Agate Road 3 Get Spooled
The field for the $200,000 Pilgrim (G2), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Liam’s Journey (Manny Franco, Mike Maker), 15-1
2 Tropandhagen (Tyler Conner, Dimitrios Synnefias), 10-1
3 Agate Road (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher), 3-1
4 Tifareeh (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh), 10-1
5 B D Saints (Kendrick Carmouche, Linda Rice), 8-1
6 Get Spooled (Jose Lezcano, Bill Mott), 8-1
7 Triple Espresso (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher), 4-1
8 Fulmineo (Flavien Prat, Alain Delacour), 5-1
9 Spirit Prince (Joel Rosario, Christophe Clement), 9-2
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
