# Miss Grillo Stakes

The Miss Grillo Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds filles over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on the turf track scheduled annually in late September at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event currently offers a purse of $200,000.

## History

The event was named for the Argentine bred filly Miss Grillo, a record breaking stakes winner in the 1940s who won the Diana Handicap twice.
The event was inaugurated on 29 October 1980 at Aqueduct Racetrack and was run over the 1+1⁄8 mile distance with Robert Kluener's Smilin' Sera winning the event by one length over De La Rose in a time of 1:512⁄5. De La Rose the following year would be crowned the US Champion Female Turf Horse.
In 1982 the event was classified as Grade III, upgraded to Grade II in 1988 and was downgraded to Grade III the following year. From 2001–2007 the race was not graded as in 2009 when the event was moved off the turf track due to the inclement weather and held over a shorter one mile distance. In 2018 the event was upgraded back to Grade II.
The event was run in two divisions in 1988.
The distance of the event has been changed several times but since 2010 the event has been run over the current distance of 1+1⁄16 miles.
The race was part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series from 2008 to 2010, with the winner automatically qualifying for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
In 2022 the event was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park.

## Records

Speed record:
* 1+1⁄16 miles: 1:40.49 – Namaste's Wish (2007)
* 1+1⁄8 miles: 1:49.53 – Belle Cherie (1998)
Margins:
* 8 lengths – Melhor Ainda (2004)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 – Fox Ridge Farm (1994, 2001)
* 2 – Klaravich Stables (2018, 2019)
Most wins by a jockey:
* 3 – Jose Lezcano (2008, 2010, 2013)
* 3 – Javier Castellano (2012, 2016, 2019)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 9 – Chad C. Brown (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023)

## Winners

| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
| At Aqueduct – Miss Grillo Stakes ||||||||||
| 2024 | Scythian | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | Lawrence Goichman | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.68 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2023 | Hard to Justify | Flavien Prat | Chad C. Brown | Wise Racing | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.92 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2022 | Pleasant Passage | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Claude R. McGaughey | Emory Hamilton | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:45.25 | $200,000 | II | |
| At Belmont Park ||||||||||
| 2021 | Sail By | Junior Alvarado | Leah Gyarmati | Treadway Racing Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.21 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2020 | Plum Ali | Jose L. Ortiz | Christophe Clement | Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Bethlehem Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.03 | $145,500 | II | |
| 2019 | Selflessly | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.11 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2018 | Newspaperofrecord (IRE) | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.29 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2017 | Significant Form | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Stephanie Seymour Brant | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:44.58 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2016 | New Money Honey | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | e Five Racing Thoroughbreds | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.41 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2015 | Tin Type Gal | Luis Saez | H. Graham Motion | My Meadowview Farm | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.50 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2014 | Lady Eli | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Sheep Pond Partners | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.50 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2013 | Testa Rossi (FR) | Jose Lezcano | Chad C. Brown | James Covello, Thomas Coleman & DMZ Racing Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.73 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2012 | Watsdachances (IRE) | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | Michael E. Kisber & Bradley Thoroughbreds | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:47.90 | $150,000 | III | |
| 2011 | Pure Gossip | Ryan Curatolo | Philip M. Serpe | Flying Zee Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:47.71 | $100,000 | III | |
| 2010 | Winter Memories | Jose Lezcano | James J. Toner | Phillips Racing Partnership | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:45.69 | $150,000 | III | |
| 2009 | Dad's Crazy | Julien R. Leparoux | Todd A. Pletcher | Smarch Racing | 1 mile | 1:40.04 | $141,000 | Listed | Off turf |
| 2008 | Maram | Jose Lezcano | Chad C. Brown | Karen N. Woods | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:46.12 | $164,200 | III | |
| 2007 | § Namaste's Wish | Kent J. Desormeaux | William I. Mott | Live Oak Plantation | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:40.49 | $81,900 | Listed | |
| 2006 | Chestoria | Eibar Coa | Bruce N. Levine | E L R Corp | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:50.82 | $84,375 | Listed | |
| 2005 | Wait A While | Jerry D. Bailey | Todd A. Pletcher | Arindel Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:52.87 | $82,550 | Listed | Off turf |
| 2004 | Melhor Ainda | Jose A. Santos | Robert J. Frankel | Stud TNT | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.28 | $82,200 | Listed | |
| 2003 | Please Take Me Out | Aaron Gryder | Alfredo Callejas | Robert Perez | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:50.75 | $84,400 | Listed | |
| At Aqueduct ||||||||||
| 2002 | Fircroft | Jean-Luc Samyn | George R. Arnold II | G. Watts Humphrey Jr. | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:49.79 | $84,000 | Listed | Off turf |
| 2001 | Riskaverse | Robbie Davis | Patrick J. Kelly | Fox Ridge Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.61 | $86,700 | Listed | |
| At Belmont Park ||||||||||
| 2000 | Ruff | John R. Velazquez | David G. Donk | Robert Spiegel | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:49.79 | $111,300 | III | |
| 1999 | Wolf Alert | Jerry D. Bailey | Gary C. Contessa | Nedlaw Stable & William F. Coyro Jr. | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:54.01 | $111,000 | III | |
| 1998 | Belle Cherie | John R. Velazquez | Philip G. Johnson | Jeffrey Foong & Roy Jackson | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:49.53 | $112,500 | III | |
| At Aqueduct ||||||||||
| 1997 | Compassionate | Robbie Davis | Mark A. Hennig | Ethel D. Jacobs | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:53.13 | $114,500 | III | |
| At Belmont Park ||||||||||
| 1996 | Miss Huff n' Puff | Richard Migliore | Richard A. Violette Jr. | Ralph M. Evans | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.47 | $113,400 | III | Off turf |
| At Aqueduct ||||||||||
| 1995 | Mountain Affair | Todd Kabel | Kathy Patton | Harry T. Mangurian Jr. | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:53.91 | $115,600 | III | |
| At Belmont Park ||||||||||
| 1994 | Upper Noosh | Eddie Maple | Patrick J. Kelly | Fox Ridge Farm | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:47.10 | $81,626 | III | |
| 1993 | Chelsey Flower | Jorge Velasquez | Jose A. Martin | Clanni Gael Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:45.21 | $124,200 | III | |
| 1992 | Missymooiloveyou | Herb McCauley | Thomas M. Walsh | Dan-dev Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.57 | $100,000 | III | |
| 1991 | Good Mood | Mike E. Smith | Richard A. DeStasio | Peter E. Blum | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.60 | $131,200 | III | |
| At Aqueduct ||||||||||
| 1990 | † Purana | Herb McCauley | Philip A. Gleaves | Strauss Medina Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.40 | $93,300 | III | |
| 1989 | Savina | Jerry F. Belmonte | Woodford C. Stephens | Henryk de Kwiatkowski | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:56.20 | $132,200 | III | |
| 1988 | Memories | Jean Cruguet | John M. Veitch | Darby Dan Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:58.80 | $136,700 | II | Division 1 |
| 1988 | Darby's Daughter | Calvin H. Borel | Clarence E. Picou | James E. Cottrell | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:59.20 | $123,000 | II | Division 2 |
| 1987 | Betty Lobelia | Ruben Hernandez | H. Allen Jerkens | Bohemia Stable | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:55.00 | $94,050 | III | |
| 1986 | Lovelier | Angel Cordero Jr. | D. Wayne Lukas | Harbor View Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:52.20 | $91,650 | III | Off turf |
| 1985 | Cadabra Abra | Jorge Velasquez | Daniel Perlsweig | Jerry R. Pinkley | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:55.40 | $87,750 | III | |
| 1984 | Endear | Gregg McCarron | Woodford C. Stephens | Claiborne Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:55.00 | $86,550 | III | |
| 1983 | Heartlight | Angel Cordero Jr. | Howard M. Tesher | Rhonda Allen | 1+1⁄8 miles | 2:04.80 | $56,500 | III | |
| 1982 | § Bemissed | Frank Lovato Jr. | Woodford C. Stephens | Ryehill Farm (Jim & Eleanor Ryan) | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.80 | $84,150 | III | |
| 1981 | Baby Duck | Gregg McCarron | Braulio Baeza | Regal Oak Farm | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.40 | $84,450 | | |
| 1980 | Smilin' Sera | Jean-Luc Samyn | Philip G. Johnson | Robert Kluener | 1+1⁄8 miles | 1:51.40 | $55,000 | | |
Legend:
 Dirt  Turf
Notes:
§ Ran as an entry
† In the 1990 running, Seewillo was first past the post but was disqualified for interference in the straight and Purana was declared the winner.