And One More Time wins Plenty of Grace Stakes, opens Aqueduct turf season

And One More Time did more than win the Plenty of Grace Stakes. She gave Aqueduct’s turf bettors the first clean read of the spring grass season: a Mark E. Casse filly with graded-stakes quality, a sharp turnback, and enough tactical speed to control a listed mile on firm ground.

The 4-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach out of Complicated, owned by Live Oak Plantation, edged Oversubscribed (GB) by 3/4 of a length in 1:36.68 on April 17 at Aqueduct. Javier Castellano rode the winner through a six-horse field, and the payoff reflected how well she handled the spot, returning $4.28 to win. Al Jafara (GB) finished third after Chad Brown entered a dangerous trio that also included Accent, but And One More Time was the one who turned the setup into a winning trip.

That was the point of this race before the gates ever opened. The Plenty of Grace was the first turf stakes of the year on the NYRA circuit, and Aqueduct’s grass season had only just gotten underway after turf racing was delayed until April 16. With that timing, the race mattered as a form line, not just a result. And One More Time had been pointed to exactly the right conditions: a cutback in distance, a drop in class, and a forward-running style that would be an asset in a smaller, tactical field. She delivered all three.

The chart tells the rest of the story. Storm Miami (IRE) and Just Music scratched, leaving only six starters in the listed $150,000 stakes for fillies and mares 4 and up at a mile on firm turf. In that kind of race, position matters almost as much as talent. Castellano put And One More Time where she needed to be, and when the real running started, she kept the advantage all the way through the lane.

That is what makes her a horse to follow, not just a one-afternoon winner. Live Oak and Casse now have a filly who has already shown she can handle Aqueduct’s grass, carry a sharp pace over a mile, and beat a field with legitimate local depth. If she stays on this path, she belongs in the conversation for the better female turf spots as the New York season builds, and she already looks like one of the more useful names in the division.