ARCADIA, Calif. – They say a good horse can come from anywhere. If so, then an unheralded gray who began her career on an obscure half-mile Canadian bullring could turn out to be something special this winter at Santa Anita. Gracelund Gray charged out of her stall Monday morning like she wanted to run again, less than 24 hours after her dramatic California debut in an allowance turf sprint. “She came back like she never ran,” trainer Howard Zucker said. “She jumped out of her stall standing on her hind legs. She’s not afraid of anything. She just wants to run. She never gets tired.” Who is this Gracelund Gray? And why the attention for a 3-year-old allowance filly who only finished second in her comeback? Video replay shows why. :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! Bumped early, shuffled back, bumped again, green through the lane, cocking her head everywhere, Gracelund Gray kicked late and missed by only a length. It was her first start against real horses. Not to besmirch the rivals she trounced by 14 and 23 lengths her first two starts at Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, but California is a different league. “It’s a long way from Lethbridge to Santa Anita, and not just in miles,” Zucker noted. “And, she is better on the dirt.” :: Serious horseplayers use serious products. Get DRF's premium past performances, now free for the first time Zucker knows this from watching replays of her two starts in Canada, and supervising her dirt workouts at Santa Anita. Tyler Baze has worked her, he rode her Sunday on turf, and cannot wait to ride her again when she switches to dirt. “She’s a bulldog, she’s not scared of anything,” Baze said Monday while visiting Gracelund Gray. Gracelund Gray is owned by Washingtonians John and Kim Gravenslund and daughter Kelley Gravenslund. And though Zucker’s phone rang repeatedly the morning after her comeback, Zucker said repeatedly, “She is not for sale.” Gracelund Gray’s storybook tale is only getting started. Stay tuned. Stakes stars had excuses Puzzling flops by Dr. Schivel in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 and Big Switch in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez on Jan. 8 are forgiven. It turns out, both were sick. Dr. Schivel, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint but last in the Malibu, missed a week and half with a temperature. He has resumed training and will resume working in the next week. Dr. Schivel will race in March, under one condition: “I ain’t running against Flightline,” trainer Mark Glatt said. As for stakes winner Big Switch, her excuse was downplayed by trainer John Sadler. “She had a fever for a couple days” after the race, he said. “I don’t want to use it as a complete excuse, but it could be part of it.” Big Switch has resumed training, her next start is undetermined. A previous version of this article misstated the name of one of Gracelund Gray's owners. It is Kim Gravenslund, not Marianne Gravenslund.