Junior Alvarado remained calm aboard Scythian as he anticipated what was about to happen coming around the final turn of the $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct on Sunday.
In an instant, Marvelous Madison, who was in the lead with Manny Franco aboard, bolted outside and took stablemate Lavender Disaster and Grace and Grit with him, sending the trio out of contention.
Scythian. NYRA/Coglianese Photo.
Scythian Narrowly Avoids Disaster to win the Miss Grillo
“I was just looking at Manny. His filly was looking like she wanted to bolt from past the three-eighths pole,’’ Alvarado said. “So, I was just trying to figure it out … I’ve got horse, where do I go? Is he going to pull her back inside or is she going to bolt?
“Knowing I had plenty of horse to make my move whenever I wanted to, it gave me a chance to wait a little longer. When that happened, that’s when I zoomed in the inside and she took off after that.”
Sent off at 11-1 in the field of 12 2-year-old fillies, Scythian returned $24.20 with her 2 ½-length win over a closing Virgin Colada. The victory earned the Bill Mott-trained Tiz the Law filly a fees-paid automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Chad Brown, meanwhile, trains Virgin Colada, Marvelous Madison, and Lavender Disaster, who was the second betting choice.
“It was just bad luck,’’ Brown, who earlier on the card won the Beldame Stakes (G2) with 1-10 favorite Raging Sea. “Lavender Disaster — what a disaster really for this horse [Marvelous Madison] bolting. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t believe she did that.
As for Lavender Disaster, Brown said “she looked like a winner every step of the way.”
Watch Scythian secure her spot in the @JohnDeere #BreedersCup Juvenile Fillies Turf with victory in the #WinAndYoureIn Miss Grillo! Congrats to all of her connections!
J: Junior Alvarado
T: William Mott
O: Lawrence Goichman
B: Lawrence Goichmanpic.twitter.com/4MibaAHf2Y— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) October 6, 2024
All three horses were eased across the finish line. Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.68.
“She ran great. She ran like we thought she would. She beat the boys last time and she was 11-1 today – you don’t have to put me [on the] favorite, but I thought she was very live going against the fillies,” Alvarado said of New York-bred Scythia. “Whatever happens, I still think she would be very tough. When I turned for home, she gave me a nice turn of foot. She won very impressively.”
Beldame Stakes: Raging Sea, barely
Raging Sea ($2.20) won her third graded stakes in a row by a head over 22-1 longshot Batucada.
Trainer Chad Brown, who also sent out third-place finisher Signal From Noise, said Raging Sea’s “soundness and durability, getting her into the race, doing just fine, traveling good – [we knew] she’s going to show up.
Raging Sea bobbled at the start of the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old and up fillies and mares, and was last of six early on.
“She can be a little tense in there, so sometimes she’ll break very well and sometimes a bit slower,” winning rider Flavien Prat said. The 4-year-old Curlin filly took the lead in the stretch but had to fight off a late bid by Batucada.
Winning time was 1:50.41 on the fast track.
Brown said the 5-year-old Raging Sea is likely headed to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Raging Sea has won six of her last seven races, including a win over champion Idiomatic in the Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga.
Matron Stakes: Abientot, by a neck
Jockey Dylan Davis guided Abientot to a narrow victory over Civetta in the $175,000 Matron (G3) for 2-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs on the turf.
Sent off at 5-1, the Mark Casse-trained filly returned $12.20 and won in a time of 1:08.31.