Chelsea Durand Photo

Highway Star shines in G3 Distaff: Macagone finds comfort in Big A turf return to win Danger's Hour

by NYRA Press Office

Chester and Mary Broman's homebred Highway Star got back to her winning ways Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack with a half-length victory over Indulgent in the 63rd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap.

Under jockey Angel Arroyo, Highway Star settled along the rail in third as Kelsocait and Clipthecouponannie battled through an opening quarter-mile in 22.46 seconds and the half in 45.16. Arroyo guided the 4-year-old Girolamo filly wide into the stretch as Indulgent, half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Frosted, overtook the pacesetters. Highway Star was put under a drive and hooked up with Indulgent in the stretch and dug in for the win, completing the seven-furlong sprint in 1:22.25.

"She was really comfortable," said Arroyo. "I broke and got a good trip and stayed behind the speed. In the stretch, when she switched leads, she went great. She loves seven furlongs; she likes the distance."

Highway Star, winner of the Grade 3 Go For Wand on the Aqueduct main track in December, was fourth in her first start of the year in the Ladies Handicap over the inner track in January. The New York-bred improves her record to six wins and a third from nine starts for $464,000 in lifetime earnings.

"We're happy," said winning trainer Rodrigo Ubillo. "She's a nice filly, I was just hoping they'd go fast up front but she can adapt to any pace scenario really. It certainly helped they went fast and she was able to wear them down. Her last race, she was in heat and maybe she didn't like the smaller track but we took our time. We know her ability and took her time to bring her back and you see the result."

Clipthecouponannie was another two lengths back in third, followed by Kelsocait, Carrumba and Tale for Ruby to round out the order of finish.

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Trinity Farm's Macagone capitalized on class relief, going gate-to-wire at one mile to win the third running of the $100,000 Danger's Hour, carded as Race 8, for 4-year-olds and up on Sunday in Aqueduct's first turf stakes of the spring meet.

Macagone, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, again found success on the Big A's turf course, winning for the fourth time in five starts and improving to 4-0-1 in five starts on the track. 

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche sent the 6-year-old to the front, where she set fractions of 23.40 seconds for a quarter-mile and 46.78 for a half. Coming out of the final turn, Macagone outkicked a challenging Catapult to post a 1 ½-length victory, completing the course in 1:36.13.

"Like Mr. Billy Mott says, never take anything that comes easy," Carmouche said. "They just wanted me to warm him up, get him back into his front-running character, and he ran good. He loves this turf course."

The seven-horse field's lone New York bred, Macagone went off from the sixth post at 5-2. The Artie Schiller bay gelding paid $7.60 on a $2 win wager and improved his career earnings to $525,667. 

"He loves Aqueduct," said Leanna Willaford, assistant to Mott. "There was a nice little cut in the ground and the plan was to go to the lead from the start. He actually just shipped in from Florida a couple of days ago and he looks fantastic. They did a good job with him and Kendrick finished the job."

After a 10th-place finish in Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale and the Grade 3 Canadian Turf, Macagone won for the first time since the stakes that honored his sire's name on November 19 at Aqueduct.

"Congratulations to the owner [Tom Egan of Trinity Farm] and his family," Carmouche said. "He lost his wife in December and it really helps him as a person and his kids. This all goes to them."

Catapult was the runner-up while Cage Fighter took third in the 7-year-old's first Aqueduct start. 

Gold Shield, Eirigh, Il Segreto and Edge of Reality completed the order of finish.