SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Jack Sisterson believes Aspen Grove has the talent to run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. She’ll likely have to do more to get in that field, but on Thursday she may have taken a first step toward doing that. Aspen Grove won a second-level allowance race at Saratoga, overcoming a pedestrian pace over soft-ish ground to beat Avenue Niel by a neck. It was Aspen Grove’s first win since she captured the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks in July 2023 when still racing for the European-based trainer James Stack. In three prior runs for Sisterson in 2024, Aspen Grove finished second, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs; third, beaten a length in the Grade 3 Modesty on May 3 at Churchill Downs; and seventh, beaten five lengths in the Grade 1 New York on June 7 at Saratoga. :: Gain a competitive edge at Saratoga with DRF's premier handicapping data — purchase our meet packages today and bet with confidence. “Obviously, we dropped her down in grade just to get her confidence back up,” Sisterson said Friday morning. “I’m probably going to be a bit biased here, but I think she’s been a bit unlucky. In the Hillsborough, they went no pace up front. The Modesty, she got squeezed at the start. I think she ran a better race visually than on paper in the New York here. If you look at the first bend, she got checked pretty hard, got a bit banged up, but she came finishing well.” Thursday, Sisterson felt Aspen Grove was again compromised by a lack of pace and “Tyler [Gaffalione] rode her perfectly,” he said. Aspen Grove earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the win. Sisterson will speak with the co-owners, Glen Hill Farm and Coolmore, about where to run Aspen Grove next. The Grade 2, $200,000 Rodeo Drive on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita is one option. The New York Racing Association has not yet released its Belmont at Aqueduct fall stakes schedule, but it will likely offer the Grade 2, $200,000 Waya on or about Oct. 5. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.