Chelsea Durand Photo

Nonna Madeline leads Pletcher trio in Turnback the Alarm (G3)

by Ryan Martin

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by three fillies as looks to secure a fifth triumph in Saturday's 26th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Turnback the Alarm going 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares over the Aqueduct main track.

Pletcher won previous editions of the Turnback the Alarm with Indian Vale (2005), Unbridled Belle (2009), Dame Dorothy (2014) and Eskenformoney (2017).

Arriving fresh off a second career stakes triumph in the Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park is Teresa Viola Stable and St. Elias Stable's Nonna Madeline, who owns a consistent 12-4-3-1 record. The 4-year-old Candy Ride bay maintained a stalking position in second in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile Lady’s Secret and engaged in a stretch battle with fellow Turnback the Alarm aspirant Royal Flag, holding off the stubborn foe to win by a nose, earning a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

"She ran well that day," said Pletcher's Belmont Park-based assistant Byron Hughes. "She's a tough, hard-knocking horse and did a good job of fighting off Chad Brown's filly [Royal Flag] at the wire. It was a good solid win and she's coming into the race in good form."

The hard-fought victory made amends for a lackluster performance in the Grade 3 Shuvee on August 30 at Saratoga, where she was a distant eighth as the lukewarm favorite after winning the Spa's Summer Colony.

"She was a little further back in that race than we would have liked,” said Hughes. “She seems to do her best running when she's on the pace or close to it."

Hailing from the prestigious lines of prolific broodmares La Troienne and Numbered Account, Nonna Madeline is out of the Storm Cat mare Cool Storm -a full-sister to Grade 1-winner Bluegrass Cat. She was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm.

Jockey Nik Juarez retains the mount from post 3.

Farfellow Farm's Another Broad, third in the Lady's Secret, will attempt her first victory since taking the 2019 Top Flight Invitational at the Big A.

In her last out effort, the 5-year-old Include bay sported blinkers for the first time and was more forwardly placed early on. Another Broad will again race in blinkers on Saturday.

"The blinkers seemed to put her in the race a little more," Hughes said. "Her last few races, she finished up well but didn't really have much of a pace to run into."

Jockey Chris DeCarlo will pilot Another Broad from post 1.

Whisper Hill Farm's royally-bred Graceful Princess will be making her stakes debut and third career start for Pletcher in pursuit of a third career victory.

The daughter of multiple champion-producing sire Tapit out of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace made her debut for the Pletcher barn a victorious one when strolling home a 6 1/2 length winner in a first-level allowance event on April 24 at Gulfstream Park. Graceful Princess did not race again until October 4, when a distant fifth in a Belmont Park allowance.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche will ride from post 4.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out Royal Flag in attempt to turn the tables on Nonna Madeline after a nip-and-tuck stretch duel in the Lady's Secret.

The three-time winner fought to the outside of fellow Candy Ride daughter Nonna Madeline through the stretch run of the Lady's Secret.

In her lone start at Aqueduct, Royal Flag was a second-out maiden winner over a muddy and sealed main track in December, where she romped to an eight-length victory before defeating winners going two turns for the first time in a February 7 Gulfstream Park allowance race. She acquired graded stakes black type in her two starts prior to the Lady's Secret with a distant third in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga.

A W.S. Farish Kentucky homebred, Royal Flag is a half-sister to five-time graded stakes winner Catalina Cruiser and a full-sister to graded stakes winner Eagle.

Royal Flag breaks from post 2 under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Completing the field is New York-bred Mrs. Orb, who makes her graded stakes debut for trainer Michael Miceli. Owned by her trainer in partnership with Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn and Script R Farm, the daughter of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb arrives from three runner-up finishes in stakes company against fellow New York-breds and seeks her first trip to the winner’s circle since winning the Bay Ridge in December at Aqueduct.

Breaking from post 5, jockey Eric Cancel will ride Mrs. Orb.

The Turnback the Alarm is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 10:30 a.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the Aqueduct fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.