Another Broad Rewards New Connections in Top Flight
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Another Broad wins the Top Flight Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
Madaket Stables, Elayne Stables, and Brian Martin's Another Broad captured the $200,000 Top Flight Invitational Stakes April 13 at Aqueduct Racetrack, rewarding her new connections with a stakes victory in her second start for them.
Another Broad broke last of six in the 1 1/8-mile feature for older fillies and mares, while Frostie Anne pulled ahead by five as she set fractions in :24.05, :47.91, and 1:12.91. Another Broad, Forever Liesl, and My Miss Lilly all came up to challenge the leader, with Another Broad and jockey Manny Franco splitting horses and getting up by 1 1/4 lengths. The final time was 1:52.99 over a muddy track.
"She shipped up here from Palm Beach Downs on Wednesday in good form," said Byron Hughes, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. "We galloped her at Belmont for a couple of days, and she was ready to run. We wanted her to get into a nice rhythm, and Manny was very patient with her. Coming around the second turn, he found a good spot and he was able to split horses and get up. That was nice."
Forever Liesl, My Miss Lilly, Frostie Anne, Midnight Disguise, and Jump Ruler completed the order of finish.
"The pace was hot and I knew that, so I just tried to give my filly a chance and wait as long as I could," Franco said. "She was there for me when I asked her. By the three-eighths pole, I kind of followed Joe Bravo (aboard Miss Lilly). In the stretch, I stayed to the inside and waited for a hole to open. When it did, she was there for me."
Another Broad was bred in Maryland by Fitzugh, which campaigned her at Laurel Park with trainer Michael Trombetta in 2018. The 4-year-old daughter of Include was second in the Geisha Stakes Nov. 24 before moving to Pletcher's barn. She was fourth on debut this year in the Royal Delta Stakes (G3) Feb. 16 at Gulfstream Park.
Another Broad is out of the Deputy Minister mare Dynamic Deputy, who won the Shine Again Stakes at Pimlico Race Course and was second in the Delaware Handicap (G2). She has produced five winners from seven starters, including three-time stakes winner Dynamic Strike. Another Broad now holds a 4-2-0 record from nine starts and has earned $222,095.
Earlier on the card, Isabelle de Tomaso's homebred Regally Irish, from the family of multiple grade 2 winner Irish War Cry , nipped frontrunning Skole to win the $100,000 Bridgetown Stakes. The Bridgetown was the first stakes win for the New Jersey-bred Regal Ransom colt, who completed the six furlongs over yielding turf for 3-year-olds in 1:10.28.
Skole set fractions of :22.39 and :45.32 through the first half-mile while Regally Irish, trained by Graham Motion, was fourth of five in the field. There appeared to be no challengers for Skole as the field turned into the stretch, but jockey Rajiv Maragh unleashed Regally Irish, the 8-5 favorite, and was up to win by a neck on the outside.
"I think he can go on for more distance as well," Maragh said. "He's a pretty versatile horse. He can go to the lead or come from behind and go different distances. (Motion) said this horse is pretty straightforward. This horse is pretty adaptable, so we didn't have to commit to any specific thing. The horse always put himself in a good spot."
Skole, Mount Travers, Skychief, and Wonder Stone completed the order of finish.
Prior to Saturday's race, Regally Irish was third in the Dec. 15 Inaugural Stakes and then won a Jan. 11 optional-claiming allowance event, both at Tampa Bay Downs. The Bridgetown improved his record to 3-1-1 in seven starts and his earnings to $110,945.
"That was good. He ran well down at Tampa," Motion's assistant Adrian Rolls said. "We weren't sure it would be on the grass because of the rain, so it was nice that they kept it on. When he got running, Rajiv said he really sprinted away from them. He appeared to be happy with him. We'll have to see how he comes out of this race (before deciding on a next start)."
Regally Irish is the first of three foals out of the Even the Score mare Irish Score. His second dam, Irish Sovereign, produced Irish War Cry—another homebred for Tomaso trained by Motion—who won the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2) and the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) on the 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Video: Top Flight Invitational S. (BT)