Chris Rahayel Photo

Broadway Run scores front-running victory in Coronation Cup

by Anthony Affrunti

Curragh Stable’s Broadway Run took the field of nine 3-year-old fillies wire to wire to win the $100,000 Coronation Cup by three-quarters of a length under jockey Luis Saez in 1:03.67 for the 5 ½ furlongs on the firm Mellon turf Monday at Saratoga Race Course.

Making her third career start, the John Terranova trainee was gunned to the front under Saez and cleared the field before setting fractions of 22.60 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.20 for the half. Turning for home, the field swept across the top of the stretch, and Broadway Run, making her move along the inside, kept off late challenges after five-eighths of the mile went in 57.73. Saez asked for more from Broadway Run and she delivered as Originator came on for second, finishing a half-length ahead of Lady Suebee in third.

“I wanted to break running and if I was in the lead, I would take it,” Saez said after winning his second race on the card. “If not, I would sit right there. She's pretty fast. I work her and she's a kind filly. [My plan was] to break and see what position we were going to end up. When I saw everybody take a hold, I went to the lead and she just kept on going.”

The Florida-bred Prospective filly debuted as a winner by a head on May 5 at Belmont Park then returned at the end of the month, where she fell short by a half-length to Monimou in an allowance. Monday's victory came on a turnback in distance after trying starts at six furlongs and seven furlongs, respectively.

“When they're fast, they're fast. She's very classy and a good-minded filly. She's just gone forward mentally and physically since we got here,” said Terranova. “We didn't know if we were going to cut her back to 5 1/2 [furlongs] or stretch her out a little bit. She has that big heavy-body style. She looks [like] a sprinter. But we figured [for] another start, we'd at least run her short. If we need to stretch her out down the road, we will. Hopefully, she develops and we’ll have options down the road.”

Sent off at 5-1, Broadway Run returned $13.40 for a $2 wager.

Tesora; Closer Still; Mominou, the 7-2 favorite; Factorofwon; Classy Dancer; Brattata; and Flashly completed the order of finish.