Royal Flag Wins First Stakes in Turnback the Alarm
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Dom Napolitano
Royal Flag wins the Turnback the Alarm Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack
W.S. Farish's Royal Flag arrived at the $97,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3) off three consecutive placings against stakes company but prevailed when saving ground and displaying a late kick to capture the 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The homebred 4-year-old daughter of Candy Ride broke cleanly from post 2 under Trevor McCarthy and secured a spot to the inside as Graceful Princess commanded the pace into the first turn through splits of :24.38 and :49.52 on the fast main track.
Approaching the far turn, Graceful Princess gave way as Nonna Madeline and Mrs. Orb raced in tandem on the front end with Royal Flag in pursuit. At the top of the stretch, McCarthy angled Royal Flag three paths to the outside and was in front past the sixteenth pole to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:54.08.
Mrs. Orb finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Nonna Madeline. Another Broad and Graceful Princess completed the order of finish.
"She comes from off the pace, but I got a great trip," McCarthy said. "I was able to save some ground and then got her outside and she gave me a great kick. She's a nice filly and she gave me everything she had. As soon as she came off the turn, I went left-handed and then went back to the right and she really accelerated and went right by the other two horses."
McCarthy said he came prepared for Saturday's race.
"I did a lot of homework on this race," McCarthy said. "It was a five-horse field and I watched every horse about three or four times and kind of figured out where they were going to be and where the best spot for my horse would be and where she would feel comfort-wise. You have a bunch of plans in your head of what can work out and you take it from the break and figure out which plan you are going to use."
Trained by Chad Brown, who sent out 2016 Turnback the Alarm winner Lewis Bay, Royal Flag, a half sister to multiple grade 2 winner and Lane's End stallion Catalina Cruiser , was previously a hard-fought second to Nonna Madeline in the Lady's Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park after acquiring graded stakes black type when second in the Shuvee Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course and third in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) at Monmouth.
The even-money favorite, she returned $4.10 and bolstered her earnings to $245,520 through a record of 4-2-2 from eight starts.
Bred in Kentucky, Royal Flag is out of the multiple black-type-producing Mineshaft mare Sea Gull, making the winner a full sister to grade 3 winner Eagle .