Watsdachances nabs the Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park
Trained Chad Brown was a happy man on 8 October, 2012, at Belmont Park when his runners gave him a sweep of the graded events. Owned in partnership by Michael Schwartz, Noble Tune, sung the song of his people in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pilgrim Stakes at about 1 1/16 miles over the Belmont Park’s inner turf course, and then late, Watsdachance, gave Chad Brown the Grade3, $150,000 Miss Grillo Stakes also run at the inner turf course over 1 1/16 miles.
"I'm very proud of these two," said Brown following the Miss Grillo. "You know, you spend a lot of time training them in the mornings, observing them and trying to make sure we've set up the training schedules, doing the right thing. It's rewarding when they go out there and do it in the afternoon. They're two nice horses and we're lucky to have them in the barn."
Michael E. Kisber’s 2-year-old filly, Watsdachances was sent as the favourite against 9 juvenile fillies over 1 1/16 miles on turf. Under jockey Javier Castellano, was pegged back at eighth in a field of 10.
On the upper stretch, Watsdachances gave way to rival filly, Sustained, after finding a hole, but the filly showed an amazing turn off foot to bypass the filly and then went on to cut between two horses at the eighth pole, and turned in a magnificent drive to the wire to win the race by a convincing margin of 2 ¼ lengths.
Although, Sustained was no match for the victorious filly, but she was not giving up, and defeated, Manuka Honey, in third by a single length.
Fly Again and Wave Theory kept at each other in the home stretch, but it was Fly Again, who edged past her rival fourth by 1 ¾ lengths.
The Miss Grillo Stakes was originally drawing a full field of 12, but the field was reduced to 10 after Summer of Fun and Fearless Jacq were scratched.
The Ireland bred daughter of Diamond Green, and out of Entrepreneur mare High Finance, Watsdachances went on to cover the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1 minute and 47.90 seconds.
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