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State-bred fillies clash in Broadway at Aqueduct

State-bred fillies clash in Broadway at Aqueduct

By NY Hot List Staff // February 14, 2020


A small but competitive field of six of New York State-bred fillies and mares will square off Saturday in the $100,000 Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct and it could be an example of how speed can kill.

Of the six starters, five of them prefer to be on or near the lead which could lead to a lively duel that may set things up for the lone closer in the race.

Bluegrass Jamboree rallied from fifth in his last start to finish second, which came in a Dec. 20 allowance race at Aqueduct.

In her previous start, she was seventh in a seven-furlong New York Stallion Series stakes in which she was seventh against a slow pace and wound up sixth.

Among the ones she’ll be chasing is Out of Orbit, who is cutting back to six furlongs after setting the pace and finishing third in the 1 1/8-mile Bay Ridge in her last start.

Two starts before that, she posted a frontrunning 2 ¼-length victory in the Saratoga Dew Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga in August.

“She’s pretty versatile but she’s got speed which is dangerous and she proved that up at Saratoga,” said trainer Phil Serpe. “She’s just an all-around nice filly. Once she finds her form, she runs good anywhere. She’s only run at three different racetracks her whole life, but when she’s doing well she runs very well.”

Another speedster is Cash Offer, who raced to a length victory in the La Verdad Stakes in her last start, beating five rivals including Broadway starter Kept True, who was second. In Saturday’s race trainer Mark Hennig is hoping she can stay off the pace a bit.

“She’s doing super,” Hennig said. “We got into that race two races back (a Dec. 6 allowance win) and it seemed like an opportunity to let her settle a little bit, if she wanted to. Back in the summer when Mario Gutierrez rode her, she settled a little off horses that day and I wanted to try it again and it worked out well. Stretching out to seven furlongs last time, we definitely wanted to try and come from off it, but, I think she’s versatile. She breaks sharp all the time and could find herself there again.”

The field includes Hay Field, who holds the unusual distinction of being claimed in her last five starts, each time for $40,000. She’s won her last three starts and was second in the two starts before that.

She will be running in the stakes for her new connections of trainer

Antonio Arriaga and owners Brian and Kerry Novak.

Three starts ago, she beat Cash Offer by a length in an allowance optional claimer on Nov. 7.

The rest of the field includes Kept True, the La Verdad runner up who beat Bluegrass Jamboree by 1 ¼ lengths in a Dec. 20 allowance race, and Stonesintheroad, who exits an open allowance race at Parx on Jan. 7 and was second in the Niagara Stakes at Finger Lakes June 17 in her last race against New York State-breds.