Brown aims for record fifth win in G3 Miss Grillo

by Heather Pettinger

Having already won four of the last eight runnings, Chad Brown will look to score a record-extending fifth victory in the 37th edition of the Grade 3, $200,000 Miss Grillo on Sunday afternoon, mounting a three-pronged challenge in Belmont Park's featured race for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.

Leading the charge for Brown this year is St. Elias Stable's European invader Create a Dream, making her first start for the barn since transferring to Brown earlier this summer. A Kentucky-bred daughter of Oasis Dream, Create a Dream broke her maiden at five furlongs over "good to soft" turf at Ascot in April. She returned for the famed Royal Ascot meet in June to finish fourth, beaten a length, in the six-furlong Group 3 Albany.

"We've had her for a little while and we've been able to breeze her a couple times," said Brown. "The distance is a real question mark for her but she's a quality filly and we'll just have to see how far she can go."

Installed as the 2-1 favorite on the morning line, Create a Dream will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from the outside post 7.

Irish import Dancing Waves will also be making her first North American start since transferring to Brown. The Zoffany filly broke her maiden by five lengths in her second start at Down Royal in July.

"We haven't had Dancing Waves as long," Brown noted, "but she seems to have settled in nice since arriving. She's got a good way of going, her form's pretty good, she's fit, so we'll give her a run and see what she can do. I'm not as concerned with her in terms of distance. Looking at her and watching her train, I think it will be fine."

Dancing Waves, 7-2 on the morning line, will break from the rail with Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard.

Maiden runner New Money Honey, a $450,000 yearling purchase and Brown's lone North American-bred contender in the Miss Grillo, will bear the silks of e Five Racing Thoroughbreds for her stakes debut and second career start. By Medaglia d'Oro, New Money Honey was a wide second in her Saratoga Race Course unveiling on September 5, checking in four lengths behind the winner, the stakes-targeted La Coronel.

"We've always held her in high regard," Brown said. "She was a little green first time out and she got beat by a horse that ran very well, but it was her third career start already. She [La Coronel] had a fitness edge and an experience edge on our horse, I felt. 

"Since that race, she's come back and breezed two half-miles really strong, very professional," he added. "We weren't originally thinking of putting her in the Miss Grillo as a maiden but the way she's worked the last two weeks, I think it's worth a shot. She's giving us every indication that she's ready to make a big step forward in start number two."

At 8-1, New Money Honey will have the services of Javier Castellano from post 7.

Of Brown's four Miss Grillo winners thus far, Lady Eli and Maram came back later in the fall to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2014 and 2008, respectively, while the Testa Rossi and Whatsdachances each posted respectable runner-up finishes in 2013 and in 2012.

"It's always served as a really good prep [for the Juvenile Fillies Turf]," Brown of the Miss Grillo. "All four of the horses that have won for us have gone on and ran huge in the Breeders' Cup, two wins and two seconds, so hopefully we can have further success in the race on Sunday."

Brown's triumvirate figures to face serious competition from P. G. Johnson winner Coasted, tabbed as the 5-2 second choice for Treadway Racing and trainer Leah Gyarmati. In her grass debut, the juvenile daughter of Tizway glided to a six-length maiden-breaking victory at the Spa on August 7. Coming back in the Johnson on September 1, Coasted proved able to overcome a troubled beginning to get clear by a length in the 1 1/16-mile turf contest.

"She got a lot of experience in that last race with traffic and all kinds of things," said Gyarmati. "She's learning and I think she should run well. If the turf comes up soft, it'll be something new for her too so we'll see how it goes."

Jose Lezcano retains the mount aboard Coasted, set to leave from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Robert S. Evans' homebred Joust, maiden winner at Kentucky Downs on September 11 for trainer Christophe Clement; Sagamore Farm's Maryland-bred Chubby Star for trainer Horacio DePaz; and European stakes winner Rymska for French trainer Pia Brandt.

The field for the Grade 3, $200,000 Miss Grillo: