Divine Miss Grey has Royal Delta as backup plan

ELMONT, N.Y. – If rain doesn’t force Saturday’s Grade 3 James Penny Memorial at Parx off the turf, Divine Miss Grey will run in Sunday’s $100,000 Royal Delta Stakes at Belmont Park.

Divine Miss Grey was one of seven entered Thursday for the Royal Delta, which is restricted to fillies and mares who have not won a Grade 1 or Grade 2 stakes this year. It allows Grade 3 stakes winners, which is why Berned, who beat Divine Miss Grey in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher, was eligible to be entered.

Trainer Danny Gargan said Divine Miss Grey backed up in the Molly Pitcher after getting involved in a pace duel with Unchained Melody, setting it up for Berned to come from off the pace.

“I wasn’t real happy after the race,” Gargan said.

The Royal Delta is run at 1 1/16 miles around one turn. Divine Miss Grey won the Lady’s Secret at 1 1/16 miles around two turns at Monmouth in June, but she was most impressive in winning the Heavenly Prize, a one-turn mile at Aqueduct in March.

Others entered in the Royal Delta were Berned, Come Dancing, Dreamcall, Frostie Anne, Sneaky Betty, and No Need to Appeal, a supplemental entrant from trainer Chad Brown.