Chelsea Durand Photo

Broadway Run looks to earn rave reviews in Sunday's marquee Autumn Days

by Najja Thompson and Brian Bohl

Curragh Stables' stakes-winner Broadway Run will look to sustain her consistency when she takes on a full 15-horse field in the $125,000 Autumn Days for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

One of three stakes on the day, including the $100,000 Notebook for state-bred 2-year-olds, and the $100,000 Tepin for juvenile fillies, the second running of the Autumn Days, carded as Race 8, will see Broadway Run looking for her second stakes win in three starts, competing at six furlongs on the Big A's outer turf course.

Broadway Run, a Silver member of the NYRA Starter Loyalty Program, has two wins and two runner-up efforts to her credit through four career starts for trainer John Terranova. After winning her debut on May 5 at Belmont Park at the Autumn Days' distance, the 3-year-old Prospective filly ran second when stretched out to seven furlongs on May 31 on the Belmont turf. Stepping up to stakes competition, she posted a three-quarters of a length win over Originator in the Coronation Cup July 30 at Saratoga Race Course at 5 ½ furlongs.

Returning to Belmont and six furlongs, the Florida bred, who was purchased as a 2-year-old for $120,000, was prominent throughout in the Christiecat before finishing second by 1 ½ lengths on September 7. Broadway Run will now make her first Aqueduct appearance.

"She's great. She's a real nice filly, and we've just been stuck in a situation where there isn't a lot of turf [racing] going on because of the weather," Terranova said. "We're getting towards the end of the season and it's our last shot with her up here. But she's moving forward and we're hoping to finish the year great and let her grow into her 4-year-old year."

Luis Saez, aboard for both stakes efforts, will have the return call from post 11.

"I think she likes [the ground] a little firmer and tighter, for sure," Terranova said. 

Backwards Stable's Fire Key, the defending Autumn Days winner, enters on a hot streak with back-to-back stakes wins, including a three-quarter of a length score in the Floral Park on October 13 at Belmont and by a nose over fellow Autumn Days competitor Compelled in the Sensible Lady Turf Dash on September 22 at Laurel Park. The Patrick Kelly trainee, a fellow Silver member, is 7-7-1 in 23 career starts and will see regular rider Julian Pimentel make the trip into Aqueduct for the race, breaking from post 3.

Trainer Tom Albertrani will saddle a pair of veteran stakes contenders in Godolphin's Always Thinking and Hickory Plains' Fear No Evil. 

Always Thinking will be making her 14th consecutive stakes appearance and will be looking for her second win in that span to add to her win in the 2017 Sensible Lady Turf Dash. The 5-year-old Street Sense mare has posted fifth-place finishes in all three of her graded stakes starts, including the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 7 at Belmont. Luis Reyes will ride from post 2.

Fear No Evil, a Silver member, has finished on the board in her last two starts, rallying for third in this year's edition of the Sensible Lady Turf Dash and second behind Fire Key in the Floral Park over yielding turf. The 4-year-old will pick up the services of jockey Jose Ortiz from post 6.

Jc's Shooting Star, a Gold member of the NYRA Starter Loyalty Program, is the group's most experienced member, slated for her 41st career start for trainer David Donk. The Shooting Star Stable's New York-bred has one win in seven starts in her 6-year-old campaign and drew post 7 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. set to ride.

Glen Hill Farm's Compelled started her 4-year-old year with win in the Mardi Gras on February 13 at Fair Grounds and finished in the money in two of his last five starts, all against stakes company, including second in the Sensible Lady Turf Dash in September. Jockey Feargal Lynch will ride the Tom Proctor trainee from post 12.

The ultra-consistent Jean Elizabeth, 6-2-2 in 10 career starts, began her 3-year-old season with a win in the Pretty Jenny on April 21 at Hawthorne. Trained by Larry Rivelli, she enters the Autumn Days off consecutive third-place finishes in the Dogwood on September 22 at Churchill Downs on the main track and the Ruling Angel on October 14 on Woodbine's Tapeta track. 

Rounding out the field are four horses seeking their first stakes win in the British-bred Misericordia, trained by Alan Goldberg; Epping Forest, a Silver member trained by Christophe Clement, Bloody Point, a Linda Rice trainee; and Tap Tap Taparoo, for trainer Jimmy Toner.

Yorkiepoo Princess, Sounds Delicious, Lezendary and Friend of Liberty are entered for the main-track only. 

In the fifth running of the Notebook, carded as Race 4 on the nine-race card, Thorny Tale, following a stellar debut in which he bested a field of nine by three lengths, will look to build on that win for owners Commonwealth Stable and Randy Bradshaw and trainer George Weaver.

Making his first start on the dirt after the race was taken off the grass, the son of Forty Tales broke from post 8 and stalked the first stages before making his winning move to the front mid-stretch, securing the victory.

Thorny Tale will leave from post 6 with Eric Cancel aboard.

Trainer Pat Quick will saddle Kosciuszko for owner Edward Witek. The son of Smart Bid made his first start on August 11 at Saratoga Race Course, finishing fourth. Following with a second-place finish on the turf on September 16 at Belmont, he broke his maiden last out on October 20 against a 10-horse field to win by 6 ¼ lengths, recording a field-high 83 Beyer Speed Figure.

Kosciuszko will leave from post 3 with Jose Lezcano in the irons.

La Fuerza, for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Barry K. Schwartz, will cut back in distance for the Notebook. Entering off a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Sleepy Hollow at a mile on October 20 at Belmont, La Fuerza is the field's most experienced runner. The son of Flatter has made six starts, with two wins from three tries at the distance.

With Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons, La Fuerza will leave from post 4.

Rounding out the field is the Pletcher-trained and Joseph Birnbaum homebred Analyzethisandthat; Bustin Hoffman, for trainer Ollie Figgins and owners Darlene Bilinski and John Witte, Sr.; and Bustin to Be Loved for trainer Gary Contessa and owner Darlene Bilinski.