NYRA/Adam Coglianese
By Sarah Mace
For Lady Sheila Stable’s Hot City Girl, the third time – third time off the layoff, that is – was the charm. Returning to action following four months on the bench with back-to-back stakes placings in November and December, on Saturday the 5-year-old half sister to sprint champion La Verdad scored a victory in Aqueduct’s featured $100,000 Broadway Stakes for older New York-bred fillies and mares at six furlongs as the odds-on favorite.
The victory leaves owner Sheila Rosenblum with an attractive quandary, as to whether to send her mare to the breeding shed fresh off a win, or keep her in competition in sharp form.
Hot City Girl came out swinging under jockey Manny Franco, latching on to pacesetter Court Dancer’s flank to prompt the pace through hot splits of 22.55 for the opening quarter mile and 45.25 for the half.
The top pair remained separated by three-quarters of a length along the backstretch and around the turn, until Hot City Girl came under the whip at the head of the stretch, and took over as they approached the furlong marker.
NYRA/Joe Labozzetta
After opening up daylight, Hot City Girl began to look a little leg-weary nearing the wire, but had enough left in the tank to hold off a bevy of closers and register a 1 1/4-length win in a final time of 1:11.56 over the fast Aqueduct inner track.
Jet Majesty, last of eight for the first half-mile, closed with energy to grab second money at odds of 23-1, while She’s All Ready kicked home third a length back, a neck ahead of Splendid Gold in fourth, who got a head in front of Roman Ceres in fifth. Play Me a Memory, Court Dancer and Flatterywillgetyou completed the order of finish. (VIDEO REPLAY)
“Before the race, [trainer] Linda [Rice] told me Court Dancer had a lot of speed,” said jockey Manny Franco, following his successful maiden voyage astride Hot City Girl.
“I just tried to measure her as much as I could. She broke strong, but I was able to stay with the plan [and] sit just off of Court Dancer. I had the favorite horse in the race, and thankfully she got a good trip and we did it. She had a long stride heading towards the finish. She ran good.”
Owner Sheila Rosenblum of Lady Sheila Stable, who also campaigned La Verdad, communicated some thoughts about future plans for the mare. “We’re not sure [if she’ll continue racing or retire]. We want to hear about her Beyer Figure. It’s a good option to have: breeding shed or racing, which one will it be? Being that she’s mine, I can make that decision quietly, not tonight. But if she didn’t race well, we knew the answer.”
Concluded Rosenblum, “This was a very important win and [Manny Franco] rode her beautifully. And we had some good speed competition there. We’re proud.”
The Broadway score is Hot City Girl’s fourth stakes victory. As a sophomore, she won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks and open Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel Park, and last summer took the Union Avenue Stakes at the Spa. She has six more stakes placings to her credit including a runner-up finish to Birdatthewire in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita in 2015. From a record of seven wins, three seconds and three thirds from 18 starts, Hot City Girl has compiled a $668,150 bankroll.
Bred by Eklektikos Stable LLC, and foaled at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Hot City Girl is out of Noble Fire, a stakes-placed runner also trained by Rice, who was bred by Chester and Mary Broman.
Rice bought Noble Fire for Eklektikos for $115,000 at the 2007 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. In addition to champion sprinter and $1.5 million-earner La Verdad (Yes It’s True) and Hot City Girl, Noble Fire is the dam of black type performer N. F.’s Destiny, who earned over $330,000 and Noble Freud, an impressive first-out winner just two days ago at Oaklawn Park.
Altogether, Noble Fire’s offspring have earned over $2.6 million and she was crowned 2015 New York broodmare of the year. Currently the mare has a yearling colt by Will Take Charge. Bred last summer to Pioneerof the Nile, she unfortunately did not bring the foal to term.
