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Divine Miss Grey looking to add turf success to resume nearing swan song in Fasig-Tipton De La Rose

by Brian Bohl

Corms Racing Stable and R.A. Hill Stable's graded stakes-winner Divine Miss Grey will look to add turf stakes blacktype to her resume in returning to grass for the first time in nearly two years as part of a 14-horse field of older fillies and mares in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose on Saturday, Whitney Day, at Saratoga Race Course.

One of five stakes on Saturday's packed 11-race card, the 16th running of the De La Rose, contested at one mile on the inner turf, is part of an undercard that also includes the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure, the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy and the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies before the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Trainer Danny Gargan will try Divine Miss Grey on turf for the first time since October 2017. In her 14 subsequent starts on main tracks, the Divine Park mare has gone 7-4-1, with six of those victories coming in stakes. As a 4-year-old, she registered her first graded stakes win, capturing the Grade 2 Chilukki in November at Churchill Downs before ending her campaign with a runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap.

After a nearly four-month layoff to start her 5-year-old year, Divine Miss Grey returned to action with a three-length win in the Heavenly Prize on March 10 at Aqueduct. Taking a step up in class, she tired late in finishing eighth in the Grade 1 La Troienne last out on May 3 at Churchill.

Gargan said Divine Miss Grey continues to train forwardly at Belmont Park before shipping to Saratoga as she prepares for her first turf start since running second on a Belmont turf course listed as good in an optional claimer in October 2017.

"When I ran her on the grass last time, it was a soft turf course that day," Gargan said. "I thought they should have taken the race off the turf. But she ran good. I always wanted to try her [again] on the grass. I think the mile and two turns here will fit her. If it gets hard and fast, it's good, and if it rains off, we'll have two options."

Divine Miss Grey is not expected to run as a 6-year-old, with Gargan saying Saturday's race and a possible start in the fall could conclude an impressive career that has netted 12 wins, six second-place finishes and a third-place finish in 25 starts, with earnings approaching $1 million [$934,372].

"I won't run her if it's really soft turf, but as long as it's hard and fast or rains off, we plan on running," Gargan said. "She tries. She has a big heart. If they all had her heart, it'd be a whole lot of fun. She's an overachiever, that's for sure. We'll try her on the grass and run her one more time in the fall and then she's going to be retired. I'm not going to run her another year."

Manny Franco, aboard for the last two starts, will have the return engagement, drawing post 10.

Augustin Stables' Rock my Love earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure in her North American debut last out for trainer Jonathan Thomas, running fourth in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on June 29 at Woodbine.

The German-bred Rock my Love started his career with three consecutive wins in his native country, including the Group 3 Preis der Winterkonigin in October 2017. With Thomas taking over the training responsibilities after the Holy Roman Emperor filly made the cross-Atlantic trek and competed in the 1 ¼-mile Dance Smartly over turf labeled good in her first start since October at Longchamp in France.

"We ran her a little bit further than we hoped to do, but timing-wise, it was a good spot off a 10-month layoff," Thomas said. "We thought she handled herself really well and she's come out of it well and trained nicely. It's a bit of an extreme cutback to a mile, but I think it should suit her."

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will pick up the mount, drawing post 5.

Gary Barber and Southern Equine Partners' Got Stormy has finished in the money in six of her last eight starts, including second to Beau Recall in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile last out on May 4.

The Get Stormy filly has finished in the top-three in all three starts of her 4-year-old year, besting an optional claiming field on March 7 before running third in her first Grade 1 appearance in the Jenny Wiley at 1 1/16 miles on April 13.

Trained by Mark Casse, Got Stormy will retain the services of jockey Tyler Gaffalione, breaking from post 8.

Juddmonte Farms' Capla Temptress rallied to win the Just a Kiss on July 13 at Delaware Park and will be running on a NYRA track for the first time since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on Belmont Stakes Day, June 8, for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Capla Temptress is a two-time graded stakes winner, capturing the Grade 1 Natalma in her North American debut in September 2017. Since Mott took over the training duties in 2018, the Lope de Vega filly has won two stakes, including the Grade 3 My Charmer in December at Gulfstream Park to cap her sophomore year.

Jose Ortiz will be in the irons from post 7.

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle three contenders in Zonza, Pacific Wind and Stella di Camelot.

Zonza has raced twice in the U.S. since arriving from her native France, running fourth against allowance company in April at Keeneland and finishing sixth in the Grade 3Intercontinental last out on June 6 at Belmont. Joel Rosario will ride the 4-year-old in her first Saratoga start, breaking from post 6.

Pacific Wind, the winner of the 2018 Grade 2 Ruffian and the runner-up of this year's edition on May 5 at Belmont, will be switching to turf for the first time since August 2017. After running her first five races on the grass, Pacific Wind was moved to dirt, where she ran third in the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap in December at Aqueduct ahead of the Ruffian. Her last start was a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes Day.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride in her return to grass, drawing post 11.

The Irish-bred Stella di Camelot won her first North American race since arriving from France. With Brown taking over the training duties, Stella di Camelot won the Pebbles by 2 ¾ lengths in October at Belmont. After running fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Mrs. Revere in November at Churchill, the 4-year-old daughter of Camelot cut back to seven furlongs, finishing third in the Grade 3 Intercontinental. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount from post 9.

Rounding out the field is Desert Isle, a last-out stakes winner, who took the Zadracarta on June 29 at Woodbine, with jockey Junior Alvarado from post 1 for trainer Graham Motion; Dynatail, winner of the Susquehanna on June 1 at Penn National, for trainer Michael Dini [post 12, Luis Saez]; Conquest Hardcandy, returning to stakes action for conditioner James Ryerson [post 4, Dylan Davis]; Miss Munnings, stepping up to stakes company for the first time for trainer John Kimmel [post 3, Chris Landeros].

Dawn the Destroyer, Alberobello and Free Kitty are entered for the main track only.

First post on Saturday's card is 1 p.m. Eastern with the De La Rose carded for Race 10 at 6:22 p.m.