Divine Miss Grey not fully cranked for Heavenly Prize repeat bid

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sunday’s $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct was certainly the logical choice for Divine Miss Grey to make her 5-year-old debut. But it’s far from the easiest spot to start her campaign off an extended layoff.

Divine Miss Grey is scheduled to meet six rivals who have combined to win 25 of 57 starts, including 12 stakes, when she makes her first start in 108 days in the Heavenly Prize, scheduled for one mile over the main track.

“It’s not an easy race,” said Danny Gargan, who trains Divine Miss Grey for Luis Stritsman’s Corms Racing and Randy Hill.

Divine Miss Grey, who won last year’s Heavenly Prize by 6 3/4 lengths, began her career in October 2016 and made 23 starts in 26 months without a prolonged break. Her last start was a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap on Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. This is the first time she is coming back off a break of this length.

Divine Miss Grey shows only three works for her return, and Gargan said he did miss one work due to track condition.

“Does she have to win? No,” Gargan said Friday. “Can she win? Yes. Is she 100 percent fit? No. Probably 90. She’s training really good.”

Divine Miss Grey is the 124-pound highweight under Manny Franco. She will concede two to six pounds to the field.

Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, and Divine Miss Grey is 3 for 4 with a second over a wet track.

Trainer Linda Rice entered three in the race, but she may scratch Sower and point her to next weekend’s Correction Stakes here at six furlongs. Still, Rice has a pretty good 1-2 punch in Midnight Disguise and Split Time.

Midnight Disguise returned from a 7 1/2-month layoff to run second to Frostie Anne in the Biogio’s Rose Stakes on Feb. 10. Last year, Midnight Disguise won the Busher going a one-turn mile over this track.

Javier Castellano, who was here to ride Instagrand on Saturday, is sticking around to ride this filly for the first time.

Split Time is cutting back to a one-turn mile after winning the Bay Ridge going 1 1/8 miles on Dec. 30. She is 3 for 3 at a mile, 3 for 3 over a wet track, and 4 for 6 at Aqueduct.

Road to Victory, the only filly to finish a race in front of Monomoy Girl, is back on dirt after a 12th-place finish in the South Beach Stakes on turf last out. That race was run over an extremely soft turf course, and trainer Mark Casse said his filly simply got tired.

“She’s probably moving and doing as well as I’ve ever seen her,” Casse said. “I’ll be scratching my head if she doesn’t fire.”

Forever Liesl won the Ladies Handicap by 4 1/2 lengths going 1 1/8 miles last out. She may be better around two turns, but she has been successful around one turn in the past.

Sara Street, second as the favorite to Forever Liesl in the Ladies, completes the field. She won an allowance in the mud here in December.

Beginning Sunday, first post at Aqueduct is 1:30 p.m. Eastern through the remainder of the winter meet.