Brown has solid pair for Miss Grillo Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has won five of the last six runnings of the Miss Grillo Stakes and six overall, and in Newspaperofrecord and Dogtag he appears to have a pretty strong 1-2 punch for Sunday’s 39th renewal of the Grade 2, $200,000 turf stakes for juvenile fillies at Belmont Park.

Three of Brown’s Miss Grillo winners – Maram (2008), Lady Eli (2014), and New Money Honey (2016) – went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which this year will be held Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs.

Newspaperofrecord was one of a dozen yearlings Brown purchased last fall at the Tattersalls auction in Europe. In her Aug. 19 debut at Saratoga, Newspaperofrecord galloped to a 6 3/4-length victory going 1 1/16 miles over yielding turf. The Miss Grillo, which drew nine for the turf and one main-track-only entrant, also is at 1 1/16 miles.

“Newspaperofrecord trained brilliantly prior to her debut, and then she ran brilliantly in her race,” said Brown, who rains Newspaperofrecord for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables. “Turf horses don’t usually win by that large a margin first time out. She definitely trains and acts like horses we’ve had in the past that have had success in the division.”

Brown noted that Newspaperofrecord “has a tremendous turn of foot.”

“She’s never disappointed us a single day of training since we had her,” he said

Brown said his only disappointment with Dogtag was that her Aug. 5 debut scheduled for the turf was rained onto the dirt. She finished fourth. Brown still felt confident entering her in the P.G. Johnson Stakes on the turf at Saratoga, where she won by one length.

Graham Motion is the only other trainer in the last six years to win the Miss Grillo, with Tin Type Gal in 2015. On Sunday, Motions sends out Varenka, who was second to Dogtag in the P.G. Johnson as a maiden.

Miss Technicality, trained by Christophe Clement, is 2 for 2, including a six-length victory in the Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

KEY CONTENDERS

Newspaperofrecord, by Lope de Vega
Beyer: 78

◗ Looked like a winner every step of the way in her well-bet debut. The fourth-place finisher, Traipsing, came back to win a maiden race at Presque Isle Downs.

Dogtag, by War Front
Beyers: 70-46

◗ Snuck through an opening along the rail in the stretch and outfinished Varenka to take the P.G. Johnson in her first start on turf. Brown sees improvement in Dogtag, noting that she worked most recently with Newspaperofrecord and held her own.

“From the P.G. Johnson, I think she’s moved forward,” Brown said. “She looks stronger to me.”

Miss Technicality, by Gio Ponti
Beyers: 72-64

◗ Won her debut sprinting at Belmont in July followed by her win in the Juvenile Fillies on turf at Kentucky Downs. Her debut produced three other next-out winners.

◗ Miss Technicality tries 1 1/16 miles and less-than-firm ground for the first time.

“I think she can relax well, and as long as she relaxes well, I think she’ll run a good race,” Clement said.