Well-bred End of Romance must overcome slow pace

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On pedigree alone, End of Romance will certainly garner attention. But his last race, his first marathon attempt, was solid enough to make him a contender in Thursday’s featured second-level allowance /optional-claiming turf feature going 1 3/8 miles at Aqueduct.

End of Romance is an Irish-bred son of Showcasing out of the Street Cry mare Folk Melody, which makes him a half-brother to Romantic Warrior, a winner of 24 of 31 starts including 15 Group 1s and more than $35 million.

End of Romance, owned and bred by Tom Rooney’s Shamrock Farm, is only 1 for 6 in the U.S., the win coming last June at Delaware Park. After a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Secretariat last August, he was put away for the rest of his 3-year-old season.

End of Romance came back in a second-level allowance going one mile at Keeneland, where he finished fifth in what has proven to be a highly productive race. The winner, Capitol Hill, came within a nose of winning the Grade 3 Poker at Saratoga on June 7. Clever Mischief and Iron Man Cal, the third- and fourth-place finishers from the Keeneland race, came back to win allowance races at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita, respectively.

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End of Romance came back in an allowance race going 1 3/8 miles at Churchill Downs, where, after racing last of 11 until the top of the lane, he had to alter course under Jose Ortiz in the stretch to find room, and when he did, he came with a late run to finish third behind his Graham Motion stablemate Soleil Volant, who came back to run second in Saturday’s Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park.

“He probably was a little unlucky that day,” Motion said of End of Romance. “Jose felt he had a difficult trip that day.”

Speaking of the Keeneland race, Motion said, “I was a little disappointed how he ran at Keeneland, but when I look back at it, he was only beaten a length. Hopefully this is a good opportunity to do the same thing he did last time. He has enough time. I was encouraged by how Soleil Volant ran [Saturday].”

The negative for End of Romance is that he finds a field without much, if any, pace. Harrow, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., did dictate terms in the Grade 3 Dinner Party at Laurel last out but finished last, seven lengths behind Fort Washington, in a five-horse field.

Mayor of Midnight does not have much speed but he was good enough to overcome a slow pace to win a 1 3/8-mile maiden race here in June 2025 and then came back to win a first-level allowance race here last September when there was a little bit more pace. Mayor of Midnight ran for Chad Brown then. He now goes out first time for Riley Mott and first since he finished sixth in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes last Nov. 8.

Emergence finished third in a 1 1/2-mile allowance race at Kentucky Downs last September, finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind Navy Seal, who most recently finished second in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup at Saratoga on June 4. Emergence is coming off an eight-month layoff and trainer Brad Cox has solid numbers under such circumstances.

Mutaawid is also trained by Cox and was claimed for $55,000 out of a win going 1 3/8 miles on May 7 here.

Later on the card, there is a first-level allowance race for 3-year-old fillies going a mile, topped by the Chad Brown pair of Concurrently and Hand Over Heart. Concurrently has not run since finishing third to Zany in the Grade 2 Demoiselle going 1 1/8 miles last Dec. 6. Hand Over Heart was a debut winner going seven furlongs here on April 23.

One potential price alternative is Krissys Star who makes her New York debut after making her previous eight starts at six different tracks, winning three times.

“I decided to give her a chance to see if she fits,” trainer William Morey said. “Sometimes you earn these numbers against lesser company. Chad Brown’s filly earned hers in a Grade 2 – we’re trying.”

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