Plum Ali Aims to Take Next Step in Miss Grillo Stakes

After winning her maiden debut and then a stakes win, Plum Ali will try for a graded stakes win when she starts in the $150,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) for juvenile fillies Oct. 4 on the Belmont Park inner turf.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables' Plum Ali returns to New York after a successful trip to Kentucky, where she scored a 2 3/4-length victory in the Sept. 7 Mint Juvenile Fillies Stakes going one mile at Kentucky Downs. That effort followed a two-length score in the daughter of First Samurai 's maiden debut July 23 going 1 1/16 miles on the Saratoga Race Course turf for trainer Christophe Clement.

Back in New York, Plum Ali has turned in a couple of breezes at Belmont, most recently going four furlongs in :49.22 Sept. 27 on the inner turf.

"She's doing great. Jose Ortiz will ride and he has breezed her twice," Clement said. "She's a very nice filly and was impressive last time. We're excited about her. She seems to handle the mile and a sixteenth."

Clement said the filly has demonstrated talent and consistency through her first two starts.

"As she continues to run against better horses, we may find a limit, but for the moment we're keeping the dream alive," Clement said.

Multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out a pair of fillies making their second starts in Klaravich Stables' Freedomofthepress and Peter Brant's Editor At Large as he tries to nail down his fifth straight win in the Miss Grillo, eighth in nine years, and ninth overall. 

Freedomofthepress, a daughter of Mshawish , finished second in in her maiden debut Sept. 7 on the Saratoga inner turf, making a nice rally from fifth. On that same card Editor At Large rallied from fourth in another maiden race on the inner turf to secure a half-length win.

After finishing second in the Sharp Susan Stakes going one mile on the Gulfstream Park turf, Director's Cut will make her debut for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse, after a private purchase following that Aug. 29 race when she started for WinStar Farm and Blazing Meadows Farm. In that race, Director's Cut finished second to Spanish Loveaffair, who is trained by Casse and co-owned by Barber.

"We had run against her and really liked her. We reached out to WinStar about buying her and now we have her," Casse said. "I thought she had run well. We really liked both of our fillies she ran against and she has a nice pedigree."

The talented bay breezed a half-mile in 49.77 Sept. 27 on the Belmont inner turf and will be piloted in the Miss Grillo by Dylan Davis from post 5.

"We've had her for about a month now and she breezed well the other day at Belmont," Casse said. "I think the mile and a sixteenth will help her."

Entries: Miss Grillo S. (G2T)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 04, 2020, Race 7

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Inner turf
• $150,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lovestruck (KY)	Junior Alvarado	120	William I. Mott	7/2
2	2Fifth Risk (KY)	Rider TBA	120	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
3	3Mashnee Girl (NY)	Eric Cancel	120	Mark A. Hennig	50/1
4	4Caldee (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	Brad H. Cox	3/1
5	5Director's Cut (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Mark E. Casse	10/1
6	6Freedomofthepress (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Chad C. Brown	6/1
7	7Batyah (KY)	Charlie Marquez	120	H. Graham Motion	8/1
8	8Plum Ali (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Christophe Clement	5/2
9	9Editor At Large (IRE)	Manuel Franco	120	Chad C. Brown	5/1