OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While the betting public will likely gravitate to the impressive maiden winner Agate Road in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct, there is another late-running maiden winner from out of town who looks every bit as capable of winning the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 2-year-olds. The Pilgrim, for 2-year-old males on turf, was originally scheduled to be run Sunday. But that card was moved to Wednesday, typically a dark day, after Saturday’s Aqueduct card was moved to Sunday, owing to 8.65 inches of rain that fell here Friday into Saturday. Wednesday’s card also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on turf. Both races offer fees-paid berths into their respective Breeders’ Cup divisional turf races on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. Fulmineo, trained by Arnaud Delacour, came with a strong late foot while wide in the stretch to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths on Sept. 2 at Colonial Downs. That race came exactly three hours after Agate Road came with an eye-catching stretch run to win his maiden by a neck at Saratoga. Fulmineo, a Maryland-bred son of Bolt d’Oro, had debuted on dirt on July 26 at Delaware Park, finishing third behind Nutella Fella. That horse came back to upset the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at odds of 54-1. Delacour said he’s not sure which surface will ultimately prove Fulmineo’s best. He said he ran him too short when he raced 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt first time out. “The distance is definitely the key with him,” Delacour said, noting that in the turf race “he was a touch nervous in the gate, which caused him not to break very well. We had to go to Plan B because I thought we’d be midpack or just stalking the pace. He was good and straightforward enough to overcome it and split horses. He was really professional.” Flavien Prat is named to ride Fulmineo. The Pilgrim drew nine but is expected to lose one runner as Tropandhagen ran in Saturday’s Laurel Futurity. Like Fulmineo, Agate Road made his first start on dirt when an Aug. 5 maiden race was washed off the turf and run on the main track. Agate Road finished second, beaten a nose by Trade Imbalance. In his turf race, breaking from the outside post in a field of 10, Agate Road broke to the right and then was four wide entering the first turn. He lingered in the back of the pack behind a slow pace and came eight wide into the stretch. He got carried out two more paths when horses in front of him were getting out, yet Agate Road still managed to get up late by a neck over Stolen Magic. “He looked like he was in a hopeless position turning for home,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “The race got pretty messy . . . . He was very wide throughout, but it was kind of a blessing down the lane that he was out in the middle of the track and avoided all the traffic. I thought it was an impressive turn of foot late to do what he did.” Pletcher’s other Pilgrim runner is Triple Espresso. As a first-time starter, he rallied from last of 13 to finish second in the Kitten’s Joy Stakes on Sept. 9 at Colonial Downs. “He was last and then there wasn’t much pace on,” Pletcher said. “He had a lot to do turning for home, but he was closing well.” Spirit Prince and Liam’s Journey are both maidens in this field who are certainly capable of winning. Spirit Prince, trained by Christophe Clement, finished second to Noted in a turf maiden race on July 22 at Saratoga. Noted came back to win the Sapling Stakes on dirt in his next start. :: Get Belmont at the Big A Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day. Spirit Prince came back to run in the With Anticipation Stakes, where he finished third behind Gala Brand and Carson’s Run, the latter also trained by Clement. Gala Brand is entered in Wednesday’s Miss Grillo (race 5) while Carson’s Run came back to win the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on Sept. 16 at Woodbine. Liam’s Journey comes out of a second-place finish in a sprint maiden race at Kentucky Downs for trainer Mike Maker. Get Spooled, trained by Bill Mott, won his debut on turf beating next-out maiden winner Dancing Mischief. Get Spooled then finished in a dead heat for fourth in the With Anticipation. Tifareeh, trained by Brendan Walsh, won a one-mile maiden race at Kentucky Downs in his second start, first on turf. B D Saints won a New York-bred maiden turf race in front-running fashion on Sept. 17 in his second start for Linda Rice. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.