The Kelso was named after a 5-time Horse of the Year, I need not tell you.
The Miss Grillo is named for one of the toughest mares of the 1940s and a specialist in beating the guys at marathon distances. She was knocking heads with horses like Stymie, Pot o' Luck and Monte Rico and giving them all they wanted. She had been a top 2yo back home in Argentina and after winning her country's Oaks, she stepped up and beat the boys in the Derby. In the US she won the San Juan Capistrano (on dirt), two runnings of the Pimlico Cup (2.5 miles), the Exterminator H (1.5 miles), the Governor Bowie H (1.75 miles), and the New York H (2.25 miles). Just to show she wasn't limited to marathons, she won two runnings of the Diana H over the ladies (9f dirt).
I have to conclude that the Pilgrim is named for the folks who settled at Plymouth colony, as the only horse with that name who achieved any prominence raced in Ireland (although he was a USA-bred and stood in Kentucky).
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