Highway Harmony sets course record in $150K John Hettinger on the final day of racing at Aqueduct Racetrack
Highway Harmony put her name into the history books twice by winning Sunday’s $150,000 John Hettinger in course record time to capture the final stakes in the storied annals of Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Amelia Green for Lucky Hat Racing, Fugget About It Racing Stables and Sportsmen Stable, Highway Harmony rocketed gate-to-wire under Edgard Zayas to capture the six-furlong outer turf sprint for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, in a final time of 1:06.44 – lowering the previous record of 1:06.73 set by Outlaw Kid in 2024.
"She's pretty fast out of there. I know last time she went fast, and I was actually keeping her together. Today, I was letting her roll. She felt like she was going pretty fast. I think that's why at the end, she kind of like switched leads and got a little tired, but there's a reason for that,” said Zayas, with a laugh. “I wanted the trip with her of just going to the lead, letting her do her thing. I was pretty confident, because her last race, cutting her back in distance, she went to the lead and went pretty fast and held on."
Aqueduct Racetrack, which opened its doors to the public on September 27, 1894, was celebrated by 10,794 fans over a Closing Weekend celebration at the South Ozone Park oval.
The track’s closure will consolidate The New York Racing Association, Inc.’s (NYRA) operations to the new Belmont Park, which will open on September 18, and historic Saratoga Race Course. Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting through Monday, September 7.
Highway Harmony showed the way through splits of 21.33 seconds and 42.89 over the firm footing, while being pestered by Sweet Brown Sugar in front of the stalking pair of With the Angels and defending race-winner Sunday Girl.
Zayas asked Highway Harmony for more at the top of the lane and the mare responded in kind, kicking away from the field to secure her first stakes win in her first attempt by 2 1/2-lengths.
Sweet Brown Sugar completed the exacta by 3 1/4-lengths over the late-running Soloshot followed by With the Angels, Spinning Colors, Mz Big Bucks and Sunday Girl. Silsbee, Blossoming Erudite and main-track only entrant Bam’s Bliss Kiss were scratched.
It was the fourth straight win for Highway Harmony, who has climbed the ranks from claimer to stakes winner. The 6-year-old Mo Town mare was purchased for $50,000 in May from the Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale.
Green, who notched her first career win here on December 1, 2024, with her first-ever starter, On Command, said Sunday’s victory was a special one.
“A lot of emotions, a lot of gratitude. I feel like I have a lot of younger memories than other people, but there were also a lot of firsts for me [at Aqueduct],” said Green, who also secured her first stakes win here when On Command captured the Listed License Fee in May 2025.
“My first winner, my first stakes winner, and for it to be for Lucky Hat, Pat and Joe Veasey, who have supported me, I was delighted,” Green said. “Amanda Gillman played a big part and bought this filly at the digital sale a couple of months ago. It takes a lot of people to get here, and I’m very grateful for my team.
“It’s surreal,” Green continued. “A couple of years ago I guess I didn’t know I would be training, so to be training and winning the last stake at Aqueduct and in a way like that is pretty cool.”
Bred by Twin Farms, Highway Harmony, out of the Quality Road mare Tweet Street, earned $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 20-6-2-1. She returned $9.42 for a $2 win bet.
Final day festivities saw each of the undercard races named in honor of Big A racing participants.
In Race 1, Tiznow Mama [No. 3, $6.54], with Kendrick Carmouche up for trainer Chad Summers, captured the Fusaichi Pegasus, honoring the last winner of the Wood Memorial to capture the Kentucky Derby in 2000.
Trainer Chad Brown and jockey Manny Franco teamed up with Close the Loop [No. 4, $2.96*] to capture Race 2, the Triple Dead Heat, recalling the 1944 Carter Handicap when Brownie, Bossuet and Wait a Bit hit the wire together.
The race was called by the legendary Tom Durkin, who recalled the 1985 Breeders’ Cup at the Big A as being a magical moment for New York racing.
"The Breeders' Cup at that point was just in its infancy but that day really helped put the Breeders' Cup on the map internationally,” Durkin said. “There were 18 horses from Europe on the seven-race card and five European Champions. Pebbles was a winner - she was a great filly that won the Turf. It was a cavalcade of stars.
“It was also a real sign of how times have changed,” Durkin continued. “Proud Truth won the Breeders' Cup Classic on seven days' rest. You don't see that anymore."
One race later, Franco guided the Linda Rice-trained El Grande O [No. 7, $16.70] to his seventh career win at the Big A in the Voices of Aqueduct [Race 3] honoring those that called the races at the Big A.
Starship Pegasus [No. 3, $4.88*], with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano aboard for trainer Michelle Nevin, captured the Damascus in Race 4, named for the Hall of Famer that captured Horse of the Year honors in 1967 after victories in the Bay Shore, Gotham Wood Memorial, Belmont Stakes, Dwyer Handicap, Aqueduct Stakes, Woodward and Jockey Glub Gold Cup in addition to taking the Preakness and the Travers.
In Race 5, Castellano doubled up with the Bruce Brown-trained Boston’s Phinest [No. 8, $6.40*] in a race named for Triple Crown spoilers Amberoid and Quadrangle. From 1963-67, the Belmont Stakes was held at the Big A with Quadrangle spoiling Northern Dancer’s Triple Crown-bid in 1964 and Amberoid ending Kauai King’s chance for racing immortality in 1966.
Hall of Fame jockey Bill Boland, in a New York Times article regarding Amberoid's Belmont Stakes win in 1966, said, "There's no question that this had to be my horse's best race. I don't suppose I had more than a couple horses beaten the first time past the stands, but when we reached the three-quarter pole on the backstretch I had a running horse."
Georgia Magic [No. 1, $6.46] romped to victory under Jaime Rodriguez for trainer Steven Schauer in Race 6, which was named for Coyote Lakes, a three-time winner of the Grade 3 Gallant Fox, including twice in 2001.
In Race 7, highlighting the 1985 Breeders’ Cup held at the Big A, Free Refills [No. 2, $46.82] posted an upset score under Christopher Elliott for trainer Keri Brion.
Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. won the 1985 Breeders’ Cup Distaff with Life’s Magic and was onsite Sunday to take in the Big A one last time.
“Aqueduct brings a lot of good memories,” Cordero, Jr. said. “I won my first race in the United States at Aqueduct, and I won so many of my races here. I won the Wood Memorial [four times], and I’m very proud of that. I won my first title in New York at Aqueduct, and everything I did at Saratoga, it was Aqueduct [first]. It gave me a lot of memories, because it was a track I really enjoyed riding at.
“That was great to have the Breeders’ Cup here in New York,” Cordero, Jr. continued. “I was very happy to have all of that. Having the Breeders’ Cup is so important – it’s the most important thing after the Derby, so when we had it here and I won on Life’s Magic, that was a big deal for me to win one of those big races over my favorite track.”
Cordero, Jr. said Life’s Magic was supremely talented.
“She was racing against colts most of the time and she beat Lady’s Secret [in the Distaff],” Cordero, Jr. said. “Very good memories – when you beat a good horse like that, you’re always going to remember it.”
With a large crowd gathered on the apron and to the roar of a full grandstand for the Race 9 finale, named the It Was A Good Run, Assume Nothing [No. 4, $18.42], with Jaime Rodriguez aboard for trainer Jamie Ness, prevailed to say farewell to horse racing at the Big A.
Live racing now shifts to Saratoga Race Course for the 46-day summer meet which kicks off on Friday, July 3 with a trio of Listed stakes, including the $200,000 Schuylerville [Race 9] as well as a pair of $150,000 restricted turf tests in the Wild Applause [Race 8] and the Saranac [Race 10]. First post on the 11-race card is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
Saratoga Live presents daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.
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