Divine Miss Grey breezes for La Troienne

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In addition to bringing Tax to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Danny Gargan will bring along Divine Miss Grey for the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne on the May 3 Kentucky Oaks card.

On Wednesday, Divine Miss Grey worked a half-mile in 48.01 seconds over the Belmont Park training track, galloping out five furlongs in 1:01 57 and six furlongs in 1:15.49.

“She went awesome, but she always does,” Gargan said. “She just drags him around there in 48. She’s a really good work horse. She’s doing really good. I can’t really complain. She could be sick and train good – she really could. If they were all like her to train, it would be real fun.”

Divine Miss Grey, a six-time stakes winner, will be stretching back out to two turns in the La Troienne at 1 1/16 miles. Gargan believes that race will come up easier than the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at seven furlongs on the Kentucky Derby card. But Gargan has her nominated to that race in case he’s wrong.

Meanwhile, Gargan said he plans to work Tax, the runner-up in the Wood Memorial, just once before the Derby, sometime from next Wednesday to Friday, depending on the weather. Both Tax and Haikal – third in the Wood – will have to van to Churchill as there are no scheduled equine flights from New York.

“He’s doing really good, but he’s another horse that trains really forwardly,” Gargan said of Tax. “He’s not as impressive galloping as he is breezing.”