Mrs McDougal comes off the bench in Plenty of Grace

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has high hopes this year for Mrs McDougal, who returns from a six-month layoff in Saturday’s $100,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes going a mile over Aqueduct’s turf course.

The winner of the Grade 2 Lake George last summer at Saratoga, Mrs McDougal tailed off in the fall, with a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont and a third in the off-the-turf, Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland.

“She had a long year, she had a good year,” Brown said. “We thought we would be best served to give her a breather, so we gave her about a month off in the field in Kentucky and brought her back at Palm Meadows. We really were just taking our time to get her ready. She hasn’t missed a beat all winter. If she stays healthy, she should have a terrific year.”

Brown likely will keep Mrs McDougal in races from a mile to 1 1/16 miles as she is 3 for 5 in races up to 1 1/16 miles. One of those wins came in a one-mile allowance over the Aqueduct turf last April, a race she won by 7 1/4 lengths.

Mrs McDougal drew post 10 in an 11-horse field and is conceding six to eight pounds to her rivals.

Strike Charmer is the only other graded stakes winner in the Plenty of Grace field, having won the Grade 3 Cardinal at Churchill Downs in the fall of 2014. Coming Attraction, Harp N Halo, and Selenite are other top contenders.

The Plenty of Grace will go as race 7 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

KEY CONTENDERS

Mrs McDougal, by Medaglia d’Oro

Last 3 Beyers: 82-90-93

◗ Has won on the pace and from a stalking position and figures to try to get position after breaking from an outside post under Jose Ortiz.

“She’s a big, scopey, beautiful mare but is deceivingly fast out of the gate if you want her to be,” Brown said. “I’ll leave it up to Jose.”

◗ Shows 10 works since early February leading up to her first start in 175 days.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the last five years, Brown is 7 for 25 with a $1.38 ROI when bringing a horse back off a 60- to 180-day layoff in a non-graded stakes on turf at a mile or farther.

Coming Attraction, by Tapit

Last 3 Beyers: 87-80-85

◗ Comes off a runner-up finish to Belmont Oaks runner-up Itsonlyactingdad in a second-level allowance at Gulfstream on Feb. 27.

◗ Connections believe the filly matured significantly from her 3-year-old season.

“She was always her worst enemy,” said Robbie Medina, assistant to trainer Shug McGaughey. “She’d break and put you in a good spot and want to pull hard. Her two races at Gulfstream, she relaxed as kind as a horse could relax.”

Harp N Halo, by Singing Saint

◗ Gets back on turf after winning an overnight handicap on dirt off a five-month layoff at Tampa.

◗ Has won her previous two turf races, including an overnight stakes at Woodbine last September.