Aqueduct: Broadway's Alibi continues team's successful run in Comely

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The venue changed but the song remained the same Saturday for owner Joyce Robsham, trainer Todd Pletcher, and jockey Javier Castellano.

After enjoying a sensational winter at Gulfstream Park, that trio shipped Broadway’s Alibi up to New York, where she jogged to a front-running 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade $3, $250,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct.

Welcome Guest, jumping from a maiden win to a graded stakes, finished second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Millionreasonswhy. Singlet, Nuffsaid Nuffsaid, and Bourbonstreetgirl completed the order of finish. Off Limits scratched.

The win was the fourth straight for Broadway’s Alibi, who won two races at Gulfstream, including the Grade 2 Forward Gal by 16 3/4 lengths on Jan. 29. Robsham went 16 for 30 at the Gulfstream meet, with several stakes victories.

Pletcher and Castellano were the leading trainer and jockey, respectively, at Gulfstream.

Castellano was riding Broadway’s Alibi for the first time as John Velazquez, her regular rider, had committed to ride Millionreasonswhy.

Breaking from the rail and racing into the wind down the backstretch, Broadway’s Alibi ran a quarter in 23.73 seconds and a half-mile in 47.25 seconds while maintaining a 1 1/2-length advantage.

She cruised on the lead through six furlongs in 1:11.74 and covered the mile in 1:36.53. Broadway’s Alibi, a daughter of Vindication, returned $4.30 to win.

“We set a pretty decent pace. My filly, she could outrun the rest of the field,” Castellano said. “My horse was much the best in the field. When I asked her she took off. She did it the right way today.”

Pletcher said he was pleased that Broadway’s Alibi was “kind enough” to stretch out to the mile on Saturday, but he wasn’t necessarily thinking about running her back in the Kentucky Oaks, a two-turn race at 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on May 4.

“It was encouraging, but we’ll play it by ear and see,” said Pletcher, who won the Comely for the first time. “There’s a lot of nice [one-turn] races like the Acorn, the Prioress, the Test, and races like that so we got to think about it a little bit.”

Pletcher planned to ship Broadway’s Alibi back to the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, Velazquez said Millionreasonswhy had no response when he asked her to run.

“Perfect trip, no response,” Velazquez said. “When I pushed the button she didn’t go anywhere.”