Divine Miss Grey possible for Breeders' Cup Distaff

ELMONT, N.Y. – Divine Miss Grey, the runner-up to Wow Cat in the Grade 1 Beldame last Saturday, is under consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, trainer Danny Gargan said Wednesday.

Immediately after the Beldame, Gargan dismissed the Breeders’ Cup, but he has had a change of heart.

“I think the Distaff is going to come up an easy race,” Gargan said. “She came out of [the Beldame] so good, I’m considering it.”

Gargan also said the Grade 2, $200,000 Chilukki going a one-turn mile at Churchill on Nov. 3 is being considered.

Divine Miss Grey has won two listed stakes going 1 1/16 miles around two turns but has yet to win at 1 1/8 miles. The Beldame was her first try at the distance.

Pick five could return soon

The NYRA Bets late pick five, which was discontinued following last Saturday’s card at Belmont, could return sooner rather than later, Tony Allevato, president of NYRA Bets, said Wednesday.

The NYRA Bets pick five, typically offered on the card’s last five races, is restricted to those who maintain a NYRA advance-deposit wagering account or wager at a New York track or offtrack betting facility.

Allevato said the wager coincided with the regular “NYRA Live” shows that aired two to 2 1/2 hours of live racing but stopped following the Sept. 30 card. Allevato said NYRA kept the wager through the first Saturday in October with several of Saturday’s races broadcast on NBC. The wager was scheduled to resume next spring.

However, since the bet has been halted, Allevato said NYRA has received a large volume of correspondence asking for the bet to be reinstated. Allevato said NYRA has applied to the New York State Gaming Commission for approval to offer it again and is waiting to hear back.

Allevato said he hopes NYRA can offer the bet again “as soon as possible.”

“It’s a positive that people want it,” he said.

Meanwhile, NYRA will offer a pick-four wager on Saturday combining two races from Yonkers – the International Trot and the Harry Harvey Stakes – with the $200,000 Pebbles and $100,000 Floral Park from Belmont.