Divine Miss Grey in top form for Interborough

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It was trainer Danny Gargan’s intent to give Divine Miss Grey a break following her Dec. 10 race at Aqueduct. But she ran so well and came out of it even better that Gargan elected to keep going with the 4-year-old filly.

Now, Divine Miss Grey looms a major contender in Monday’s $100,000 Interborough Stakes for fillies and mares at Aqueduct. The Interborough, run at seven furlongs after being run at six furlongs since 1925, drew a field of 10 and goes as race 8 on a nine-race program.

“It’s hard to put away a horse who is so good right now,” Gargan said. “She’s as good as she’s ever been.”

Divine Miss Grey, a daughter of Divine Park, rolled to a 3 3/4-length second-level allowance victory going a one-turn mile here Dec. 10. In her start before then, she finished second behind Jamyson ’n Ginger in a similar spot. In seven starts for Gargan, Divine Miss Grey has four wins and two seconds.

Divine Miss Grey does her best running from off the pace, and Gargan is hoping someone runs early with the speedy Lucy N Ethel, who is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on Dec. 2 at Aqueduct.

“She runs better when there’s a lot of speed in front of her,” Gargan said.

Come Dancing, a 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon, makes her stakes debut after winning her first two starts, albeit 13 months apart. After being sidelined by a pastern injury suffered after her debut win in November 2016, Come Dancing won a first-level allowance race by 6 1/2 lengths Dec. 14.

Trainer Carlos Martin believes Come Dancing “deserves a chance in a race like this” and has Irad Ortiz Jr. coming up from south Florida to ride.

Going for Broke, who finished second in the Grade 1 Alabama in 2016, seeks her first stakes victory in her seventh try.

Heavenly Score and Boule come in off eye-catching allowance victories here last month.

KEY CONTENDERS

Divine Miss Grey, by Divine Park
Last 3 Beyers: 97-94-84

◗ Improving filly comes in off best race of her career and has tactical speed to lay close or come from well off it, depending on pace scenario.

◗ Likely to get a break after this and point to the Claiming Championships here March 31.

Heavenly Score, by Even the Score
Last 3 Beyers: 93-82-89

◗ After winning two of five starts on turf, she returned to the dirt with a front-running, seven-length score in a third-level allowance here Dec. 22.

◗ “She’s a one-turn type,” trainer John Terranova said. “She doesn’t like to be rated, it took the run out of her both times we tried it. She’s always trained fantastic and she’s pretty fresh.”

Come Dancing, by Malibu Moon
Beyers: 96-77

◗ Has a versatile running style that should make her effective, regardless of pace scenario.

◗ Put in a bullet five-furlong workout in 1:01.20 on Wednesday over the Belmont training track.