Exotics Plays for the Plenty of Grace Stakes

Six fillies and mares, with one being a main-track only entrant, will travel one-mile on the Aqueduct turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Plenty of Grace S. The grassy affair attracted a very good cast of ladies, with each contender in the group having achieved prior success in the stakes ranks.

The race will likely come down to which horse receives the most advantageous trip with such an evenly matched group signed on, which points me in the direction of #6 Technical Analysis (4-5). Trained by Chad Brown, the Kingman filly broke her maiden at two and showed major improvement as a sophomore last campaign, picking up a pair of graded stakes wins before concluding her season with a runner-up result in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. (G1) at Keeneland in the fall.

Technical Analysis has a fine outer post draw for her initial start of the season, and the four-year-old filly has something of a tactical edge on her foes as she possesses a great amount of early speed. Dylan Davis picks up the mount atop the Irish-bred bay and will have her leading or forcing the tempo from the opening bell.

Godolphin homebred #1 Alms (3-1) has shown considerable early interest in the past, and I feel that she will be forwardly placed on Saturday for conditioner Michael Stidham. By City Zip, the five-year-old has not won a race since February of 2020, but the mare has run some good ones against strong opposition, and she looks to be training well in advance of her local debut, as well. Javier Castellano has the assignment atop the dangerous lass who will track from second throughout.

I can’t really separate Yaddo H. vixen #2 Giacosa (10-1), Grade 2 heroine #3 Plum Ali (7-2), and Forever Together S. queen #5 Flower Point (6-1), so I will include each of the talented ladies in the vertical gimmicks.

Plenty of Grace Exotics Wagers

• $20 exacta 6 with 1 ($20)
• $5 trifecta 6 with 1 with all ($15)
• $4 trifecta 6 with all with 1 ($12)
• $3 trifecta 1 with 6 with all ($9)