Divine Miss Grey will seize opportunity in Beldame

ELMONT, N.Y. – With multiple Grade 1 winner Elate sidelined due to a splint injury and Abel Tasman staying in California for Sunday’s Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes, the $400,000 Beldame Stakes at 1 1/8 miles next Saturday at Belmont Park offers some lesser-accomplished fillies a chance at Grade 1 glory.

Divine Miss Grey, a former $16,000 claimer who has won four stakes, will take that opportunity, according to trainer Danny Gargan.

“I think this race is coming up lighter than it’s been in years, that’s why I’m probably going to run,” Gargan said. “I think she can go that far.”

Divine Miss Grey has won races from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. Most recently, she won the Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx Racing. That race, originally scheduled for the turf, was run at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt with three horses.

On Thursday, Divine Miss Grey worked four furlongs in 47.55 seconds, the fastest of 20 breezes over the Belmont main track.

“She’s a good work horse,” Gargan said. “She’s doing really good right now. She scoped perfectly clean, that’s always been her issue. But she’s doing tremendous.”

Others under consideration for the Beldame include Come Dancing, Dreamcall, Farrell, Teresa Z, Verve’s Tale, and Wow Cat.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Come Dancing. He replaces John Velazquez, who had ridden her to victory Sept. 9 in the Royal Delta, but will be at Keeneland next Saturday.

Graceful Princess to Frizette

Graceful Princess, the daughter of champion Havre de Grace who won her debut at Saratoga impressively, will make her next start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes at Belmont on Oct. 7, trainer Ralph Nicks said Friday.

“Timing and progression of distance,” Nicks said.

The Frizette, which offers a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs, is run at a mile. Graceful Princess won her debut on Sept. 2 at Saratoga by 1 3/4 lengths, covering seven furlongs in 1:23.58 and earning a 71 Beyer Speed Figure.

Among those under consideration for the Frizette are Brucia La Terra, Cassies Dreamer, Covfefe, Jaywalk, Nonna Madeline, Sue’s Fortune, and Take Me to Hardoon.

◗ The Flower Bowl and Frizette will be part of a pick four wager that will include the Arc de Triomphe and the Prix de l'Opera from Longchamp in France. The races from France are slated to go off at 10:05 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. The races from Belmont will be later that afternoon.

The pick four will have a 50-cent minimum and a 24 percent takeout rate.