Divine Miss Grey catches class break in Chilukki

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The names of the entrants in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff appear several times in Daily Racing Form on Saturday at Churchill Downs – under their own race, and again under the past performances for the Grade 2, $200,000 Chilukki Stakes.

Several fillies in the Chilukki, which concludes Saturday’s program, have tangled with Grade 1 winners running in the Distaff.

The consistent stakes performer Divine Miss Grey won the Dr. James Penny Memorial by 7 3/4 lengths in September at Parx Racing and then stepped up to finish second in the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont, beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Breeders’ Cup Distaff-bound Wow Cat. Trainer Danny Gargan cross-entered Divine Miss Grey in the Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap Saturday at Aqueduct, but said that he will be shipping her in for the Chilukki. Manny Franco is named to ride.

“She still fights to hit the board and she’s a real, true competitor,” Gargan said. “She’s done spectacular. Ten wins out of 21 for a 4-year-old is impressive. She’s been nothing but great for us and is a lot of fun to be around. She’s tough to train because she’s real aggressive, but she’s done real good.”

Shenandoah Queen, who ships in for John Sadler, won the Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar by 8 1/2 lengths in August. She most recently led before finishing third in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita behind Breeders’ Cup Distaff entrants Vale Dori and La Force. Tyler Baze, aboard for those two starts, retains the mount.

Berned, who is trained by Graham Motion, finished in the top three in six stakes. The filly won the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes this summer at Monmouth, with Divine Miss Grey checking in third. Berned then finished second in the Royal Delta Stakes at Belmont, and sixth in the Beldame.

Joe Bravo, who rode Berned in the Molly Pitcher and three other races this year, gets back aboard Saturday.

Moonlit Garden was still a maiden earlier this year, but after breaking through, she has climbed the ladder to compete well in stakes. She was second to Divine Miss Grey, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth and then bounced back to wire the Summer Colony Stakes at Saratoga. She has not started since that outing more than two months ago.

Jose Ortiz has the call on Moonlit Garden, who drew the rail for trainer Chris Davis.