Sunny Desert Lights Up Broadway

Sunny Desert returned to New York-bred company and the winner’s circle Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack, sweeping to the lead in midstretch and on to a three-length victory in the $75,000 Broadway for fillies and mares.

The win was the seventh in eight starts for the 4-year-old Wild Desert filly, whose six-race unbeaten streak came to an end on March 2 when she was third in the Grade 2 Top Flight Handicap.

Sent off as the 1-2 favorite in the field of five, Sunny Desert stayed in fourth as Here’s Zealicious was prompted through brisk early fractions of 22.31 and 45.16 seconds by Clear Pasaj. Asked for run by jockey Cornelio Velasquez on the far turn, Sunny Desert took aim on the front-runners once straightened for home and took command inside the eighth pole.

Her winning time for the six furlongs was 1:10.02.

“The fast pace was good for me; my filly runs behind,” said Velasquez. “She stayed inside, and at the three-eighths pole I asked her and she came fast! She won easy, too.”

Trained by John Parisella for Queens natives Saul and Max Kupferberg, Sunny Desert is now 7-3-1 from 13 career starts, including victories in the New York Stallion Series stakes at Aqueduct, the NYSS Park Avenue Division at Belmont Park and the Judy Soda and Cat Cay overnight stakes. Overall, she has earned $376,750.

“There was a lot of speed in the race, and she was turning back off two route races,” said Saul Kupferberg. “You never know, but she overcomes everything. We got really lucky with this filly.”

Clear Pasaj who led briefly in the stretch, held on for second, 1 ½ lengths in front of Here’s Zealicious, who was followed by Nicole’s Miss El and Lady On the Run.