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Divine Miss Grey looks to start Big A campaign strong in Saturday's Turnback the Alarm

by Brian Bohl

After two runner-up finishes and a third-place effort, the ultra-consistent Divine Miss Grey will look to earn her first career graded stakes victory when she competes as part of a field of seven in the Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 24th running of the Turnback the Alarm is one of four graded stakes to open the first week at Aqueduct, with the Grade 3, $150,000 Tempted and the rescheduled Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler on Friday, Opening Day, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Nashua on Sunday.

Divine Miss Grey, owned by Corms Racing Stable and R.A. Hill Stable, has posted on-the-board finishes in 10 of her last 11 starts, including five wins for trainer Danny Gargan. The 4-year-old Divine Park filly has already made 21 starts, registering a record of 10-5-1 for earnings of more than $680,000.

Last out, Divine Miss Grey rallied for second in the Grade 1 Beldame on October 6 at Belmont Park, finishing 3 ¼ lengths behind Wow Cat in her first start at the Turnback the Alarm's distance of 1 1/8 miles.

"She still fights to hit the board and she's a real, true competitor," Gargan said. "She's done spectacular. Ten wins out of 21 for a 4-year-old is [impressive]. She's been nothing but great for us and is a lot of fun to be around. She's tough to train because she's real aggressive, but she's done real good, so hopefully this is the right spot to run her in."

Divine Miss Grey won the Dr. James Penny Memorial on September 8 at Parx, which built on her third-place effort in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher on July 29 at Monmouth Park. Gargan said he will cross-enter her in the Grade 2 Chilukki at Churchill Downs, also run on Saturday, but would prefer to keep her local instead of flying her to Kentucky on Monday.

"We'll do some handicapping and try to pick the right race," Gargan said. "I'm leaning towards here because it's in our backyard. She's doing really well right now. I've always wanted to run her long. It just worked out that way; in the winter, a lot of the races are one-turn miles. I always wanted to go at least a mile and a sixteenth with her. All the good ones go long. It just took time to get it where it worked out right."

Divine Miss Grey has won as the speed, including her gate-to-wire victory in the Lady Secret on June 30 at Monmouth, but has also been just off the pace, such as in the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap in her last race at the Big A on April 6 in which she was placed second through disqualification. 

"She rated nicely in her last race, which we might have to do in the Turnback the Alarm," Gargan said. "They are a few fillies in there that have to have the lead, so if that plays out, we'll rate her. I don't think she has to have the lead. I think she might be a little better off of it. If she can go a little slower, she'll come home faster."

Junior Alvarado will have the call from post 4 carrying the 123-pound highweight.

The 6-year-old veteran Bishop's Pond - one of the horses Gargan described as needing the lead - will look to use that speed for trainer Jason Servis. The Curlin mare led a field of six for a front-running 4 ½-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Winter Melody on October 10 at Delaware Park.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and The Elkstone Group, Bishop's Pond will be making her first Aqueduct start since finishing fifth in the Forever Together on November 25. She has finished in the money in four of her last five starts, including a career-best effort in a graded stakes when she ran third in the Grade 3 Violet on September 1 at Monmouth.

Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount from post 2 carrying 118 pounds.

Multiple graded stakes-winner Holy Helena will look to bounce back from a seventh-place effort in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl on October 7 at Belmont for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. The dark bay or brown 4-year-old Ghostzapper filly earned identical 93 Beyer Speed Figures for winning the Grade 3 Very One on March 3 at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay on May 5 at Belmont. After running a competitive fifth in the Grade 2 New York the day before the Belmont Stakes June 8, she earned a piece of the purse with a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on June 30 at Woodbine.

Carrying 120 pounds, jockey Rajiv Maragh will ride from post 6.

Town and Country Racing's Moonlit Garden could get a chance to rematch Divine Miss Grey after running second to her in the Lady Secret. Off of that start, the Christopher Davis trainee won the Summer Colony by 1 ½ lengths on August 19 at Saratoga.

The 4-year-old Malibu Moon filly drew post 5 with Dylan Davis in the irons carrying 118 pounds.

Teresa Z will make her third consecutive graded stakes start after finishing fourth in the Beldame. The 4-year-old daughter of Smart Strike earned a personal-best 90 Beyer in her third-place finish in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 14.

Trained by Anthony Margotta, Jr., Teresa Z will make her Aqueduct debut with Trevor McCarthy aboard from the rail carrying 121 pounds.

Rounding out the field is Arraign, who won her first career stakes in the George Rosenberger on September 29 at Delaware, for trainer Michael Matz out of post 3. Forever Liesl, trained by Michelle Nevin, will be seeking her first stakes win from post 7.