Poppy Flower to battle consistent Danse Macabre in Autumn Days

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple stakes winners Poppy Flower and Danse Macabre head a field of 12 fillies and mares entered in Friday’s $150,000 Autumn Days Stakes, one of six scheduled turf stakes over three cards at Aqueduct as the grass season on this circuit comes to a close this weekend.

Poppy Flower, a 4-year-old daughter of Lea trained by Bill Mott, is a three-time stakes winner highlighted by a nose victory in the Grade 3 Intercontinental in June at Belmont Park. The Intercontinental has proven a productive race with third- and fourth-place finishers Amy C and Bay Storm having come out of that race to win stakes.

Poppy Flower came out of that race to run fourth in the Grade 3 Caress at Saratoga, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by a then-streaking Roses for Debra who won her third of what would be four consecutive races.

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Poppy Flower trained on out of the Caress before vacating the work tab for a month. She shows eight works for her return.

“We backed off of her, nothing wrong with her, she just looked dull and she didn’t look right,” trainer Bill Mott said.

Following the freshening Mott said Poppy Flower “has been doing well. She’s come back around.”

Poppy Flower’s strength is her closing kick and there looks to be ample speed in this field though Mott said his other entrant in the race, the speedy Mail Order, is likely to scratch.

Still, All That Magic, Lady Milagro, and Headland all look like possible pace players.

Danse Macabre, a 3-year-old daughter of Army Mule trained by Kelsey Danner, will be taking on older horses for the first time in the Autumn Days. The Kentucky-based filly is making a return trip to New York just four weeks after she beat 3-year-old fillies in the Glen Cove Stakes, her fourth career stakes win. In the Glen Cove, Danse Macabre showed a new dimension by rallying from seven lengths off the pace.

“She’s always been able to settle, or rate,” Danner said. “She was farther back than I expected last time but I don’t think that’s an issue with her, wherever you put her she’ll stay there. She’s not a tough horse to ride as far as she’s not going to pull or anything like that.”

Danner said she had been pointing Danse Macabre to an allowance race at Churchill Downs, but that track has canceled several days of turf racing over concerns about the course.

Danse Macabre will break from the outside post under regular rider Adam Beschizza.

The New York-bred Sterling Silver is also a multiple stakes winner, though she will be trying turf for the first time. She finished first in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom but was disqualified to second for interference. She did come back to beat New York-breds narrowly in the Iroquois Stakes on Oct. 29.

“We just wanted to try something a little different, she’s in good form and it’s a way to get one more race,” trainer Tom Albertrani said.

Coincidentally, Headland, who finished second in the Gallant Bloom but was also disqualified for interference, will also be trying turf for the first time if she runs in this spot.

Loon Cry, Can’t Buy Love, Salvaje, Risk Free, and Itsakeyper complete the field.

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