Newspaperofrecord dominates Miss Grillo Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Chad Brown this week didn’t want to compare Newspaperofrecord to the bevy of talented juvenile turf fillies he’s had in the past, most notably the brilliant Lady Eli.

But after Newspaperofrecord dominated the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes with a front-running, 6 1/2-length victory Sunday at Belmont Park, Brown allowed himself the comparison.

“You’d have to say with that performance she ranks right up there with the top - we know who the top is,” Brown said, referring to Lady Eli, who overcame laminitis to become a champion in her 4-year-old season.

This was the seventh time Brown has won the Miss Grillo and sixth in the last seven years. Three of the previous winners - Maram (2008), Lady Eli (2014) and New Money Honey (2016) - won the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Brown said that Newspaperofrecord will enter the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs “the same dominating way as Eli did. She needs to go on and take the next step and do it, but she’s certainly on her way.”

Newspaperofrecord was certainly on her way in a hurry Sunday, breaking on top and dragging Irad Ortiz Jr. to the front. She opened up a one-length margin in an opening quarter of 23.44 seconds, and that was basically the race. Ortiz maintained a snug hold of the filly and managed to maintain a clear advantage over Kitty’s Legacy and Stellar Agent through a half-mile in 48.26 seconds, and six furlongs in 1:12.76.

Turning for home, Ortiz asked Newspaperofrecord to run and she opened up a 4 1/2-length advantage at midstretch that she lengthened to 6 1/2 at the wire.

Varenka rallied to be second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Stellar Agent. Dogtag, also trained by Brown, Miss Technicality, No More Fast Women, Virginia Eloise, Kitty’s Legacy, and Decorated Ace completed the order of finish.

Newspaperofrecord, a daughter of Lope de Vega owned by Klaravich Stables, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.11 over yielding turf and returned $4.

“When she broke, she was one [length] in front, she put her ears up and I don’t want to take anything away,” Ortiz said. “I knew it was going to be a slow pace if somebody goes in front of me.”

Ortiz was the regular rider of Lady Eli, who won her maiden by a nose and the Miss Grillo by three lengths. Newspaperofrecord has won each of her first two starts by more than six lengths.

Ortiz said he noticed a big change in Newspaperofrecord when he worked the filly following her Aug 19 debut win at Saratoga.

“She was a totally different filly when I got on her after that race,” Ortiz said. “I told my agent ‘Listen, this is a very serious filly.’ He said

'Maybe like Eli?’ I said 'I don’t like to compare, but maybe like Eli.' ’”