Hidden Connection with Reylu Gutierrez aboard wins the 59th running of the $100,000 Joseph E. (Spanky) Broussard Memorial. (Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges, Jr.)
Fair Grounds Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds’ Hidden Connection won her first race of the year on Friday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, posting an open-length victory in the $100,000 Joseph E. “Spanky” Broussard Memorial. With a field of six older fillies and mares signed on, including fellow Kentucky Oaks alumna The Alys Look, it was the McPeek trained fillies who rounded out the trifecta as Corningstone finished second by four lengths and Unbridled Mary ran third. The Alys Look finished last as the public’s top choice.
Positioned outside of two who were eager for the lead, Hidden Connection stalked in third through the first two calls before opening up in the far turn and quickly outrunning all interested parties down the stretch. The 4-year-old filly trained by Bret Calhoun covered 1 mile 70 yards in 1:43.01 under jockey Rey Gutierrez.
“She felt great,” Gutierrez said. “Bret (trainer Calhoun) made a couple of adjustments on her. It’s my first time riding her with the blinkers on and I felt a difference. She did everything right today. Broke well out of the gate, took me to the first turn. A good pace was set, and she kicked away really well from a nice group of fillies.”
Hidden Connection has arguably found the best form of her esteemed career since adding blinkers, but the Connect filly only had place-showings to show for it. Her last win came one year ago, also at Fair Grounds, the site of her heartbreaking defeat to Echo Zulu in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).
With the win in the Broussard, Hidden Connection tallies 4-5-1 in 17 career starts with a bankroll of $765,125. The morning line favorite paid a generous $6.40 in the win pools as the bettors’ second choice.
On Saturday, “Road to the Derby Kickoff Day” fires up at noon CT. With 12 races on the program, including eight stakes, all eyes will be on the juveniles in the $100,000 Untapable (race 9) and the $100,000 Gun Runner (race 12). Each stake offers 10-5-3-2-1 points on the respective roads to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.
