Plenty of Grace cutback may help Tass spring minor upset

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Tass, cutting back in distance to a mile and returning to a course over which she’s had success, could offer value in a seemingly wide-open renewal of the $150,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes Sunday at Aqueduct.

Before wintering in Florida, Tass at Aqueduct last fall won a second-level allowance at 1 1/8 miles and ran second, beaten one length, in the 1 1/16-mile Forever Together Stakes. Overall, Tass has a 3-1-1 record from eight starts over Aqueduct’s turf.

At Gulfstream Park this winter, Tass twice raced at 1 1/2 miles, finishing second in the Via Borghese Stakes over the Tapeta surface on Dec. 26 and fourth in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante over the turf on Jan. 27. Tass was being pointed to a stakes race at Gulfstream in March, but missed some training time due to a fever, trainer Jorge Abreu said.

Tass, an 8-year-old daughter of Temple City, has been in New York long enough to put in two workouts over the Belmont Park training track.

“She ran good in both races down there, the [La Prevoyante] I think she was just tired coming back in a month and running another mile and a half,” Abreu said. “Hopefully, this track is kinder for her than Gulfstream.”

Tass is just 1 for 3 at a mile, the win coming in a $40,000 claiming race over Aqueduct’s turf in November 2021.

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Spirit and Glory returned from a six-month layoff to win the Al Stall Memorial at Fair Grounds on Feb. 17. Five weeks later, in the Tom Benson Memorial, Spirit and Glory finished eighth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths.

“She was just too keen,” trainer Robert Falcone Jr. said. “Usually, when she’s aggressive in the first turn she doesn’t run well.”

Falcone is hoping a slight turn back from 1 1/16 miles to a mile will mean Spirit and Glory will catch a bit faster early pace than was the case at Fair Grounds. “It’s a short field, but hopefully there’s more speed so she won’t be as keen,” Falcone said. “I’m hoping they go a little faster.”

Trainer Chad Brown, who has won five of the eight runnings of the Plenty of Grace, sends out probable favorite Marvelous Maude and the European import Midnight Mile. Marvelous Maude has not run since winning the Mt. Vernon for New York-breds 11 months ago. Midnight Mile, who ran fourth in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf when trained by Richard Fahey, has not run since last September when she finished last in a Group 3 at Sandown.

Silver Skillet won a New York-bred stakes on turf at Saratoga last summer. Her best Beyer Speed Figure (87) came when she finished second in the Winter Memories going one mile here last September.

Sunset Louise has never raced on turf in her 12-race career, but trainer Bruce Levine said he wants to give the daughter of Tonalist a try on that surface. She does look like main speed of the race under Kendrick Carmouche.

Venti Valentine, Movie Moxy, and Ocean Gateway are entered to run if the race is transferred to the main track.

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