My Typhoon still untested

ELMONT, N.Y. - My Typhoon looked fabulous winning her maiden by 5 1/4 lengths on the turf at Saratoga. Sunday, she makes her second start in the $75,000-added Miss Grillo on the closing-day card of Belmont's fall meet.

My Typhoon is the likely favorite among nine 2-year-old fillies entered in the 1 1/8-mile inner turf race.

Trained by Bill Mott, My Typhoon won her career debut in a 1 1/16-mile race over a course labeled good on Aug. 29. In the race, My Typhoon, who was ridden by Jerry Bailey, controlled the pace.

Mott said because My Typhoon won so easily, it's difficult to evaluate how she will perform when she is challenged, but he believes the daughter of Giant's Causeway has guts.

"It would have been nice to see her behind horses and to move by them to see what kind of acceleration she would have," said Mott, who added My Typhoon "is pretty determined and not a wimp."

Mott has mapped out a tentative plan for My Typhoon that would have her run in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on the dirt at Aqueduct on Nov. 27. The Demoiselle could dictate what direction is taken with the filly next year.

"I decided we would pick out this race and the Demoiselle to try to determine what we will do next year, as much as anything," Mott said.

Bailey rides My Typhoon from post 8.

Melhor Ainda looked equally impressive winning her debut by 3 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park on Sept. 17. She settled off the pace and made a quick move in the stretch of the mile race to blow by Gemilli, who came back to win her next start. She is also in the Miss Grillo field.

Bobby Frankel, Melhor Ainda's trainer, was impressed.

"She looks like a really nice filly," Frankel said. "She has an amazing turn of foot and I thought she ran very impressively in her first race."

Melhor Ainda has worked well since her first race, including a half-mile breeze in a bullet 48.90 seconds on the turf at Belmont with the dogs up.

Accretion figures in the mix after winning two races on the turf at Belmont. In between those wins, she was sixth in the Grade 3 Natalama Stakes in Canada.

After being beaten by Melhor Ainda, Gemilli won her next start by two lengths as the favorite.