Alpine Princess toys with long shot before winning Falls City

Alpine Princess took the early lead, conceded it to long shot Corningstone and then regained it for good in the homestretch to win Thursday in the Grade 3, $385,000 Falls City Stakes on a sunny, 36-degree holiday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Brad Cox, 4-year-old Alpine Princess (2-1) won for the first time in seven graded-stakes tries. Owned by Dann Glick’s Full of Run Racing II and Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, the daughter of Classic Empire was clocked at 1:50.46 in the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares, 3 and up.

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The second betting choice, Alpine Princess raced to the lead through an opening quarter-mile in 24.41 seconds on the fast main track.

“I felt pretty good when she broke as well as she did and wasn’t getting any pressure,” Cox told FanDuel TV.

Corningstone (27-1), ridden by Joseph Bealmear for trainer Kenny McPeek, was keen to go forward and took the lead through a half-mile in 48.52 seconds.

“The other horse was traveling better than my filly at that point, I guess,” Ortiz told Churchill Downs TV. “I decided to wait and go around.”

Ortiz kept stalking as Corningstone got three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.70. In the middle of the second turn, Alpine Princess took the lead and held it until Corningstone poked her nose in front again at the top of the stretch.

Content to let Corningstone spend herself, Ortiz finally went to an emphatic, right-handed crop, urging Alpine Princess to accelerate with three-sixteenths of a mile to go. She extended through a mile in 1:37.43 and eventually won by two lengths.

“I asked my filly,” Ortiz said, “and she did the rest.”

Alpine Princess returned $6.82, $3.64 and $3.08.

“Obviously (Corningstone) came up and applied a little bit (of pressure), but Irad did a good job of just letting her kind of run in the bridle and getting on the outside of (Corningstone),” Cox said. “A great ride.”

Corningstone finished second and paid $17.00 and $7.08. Raging Sea (3-1), who had been sixth early, came home third under Flavien Prat and returned $3.88. Regaled (3-1) raced in mid-pack and took fourth. Post-time favorite Royal Spa (2-1) was slow out of the gate and faded late to finish fifth followed in order by Neon Icon (37-1), In Just My Heels (40-1) and Chilled (15-1).

Standoutsensation and Quietside were scratched.

Sold for $190,000 at the September 2022 Keeneland yearling sale, Alpine Princess finished second to Royal Spa on Sept. 13 in the Locust Grove (G2) over the same course and distance.

“I broke a lot better than last time,” Ortiz said. “We didn’t see too much speed in the race. I tried to be close. Brad told me, ‘Run out of there and see where you’re at.’ I saw the chance to make the lead, and I go for it. Going to the backside I thought it was a little early.”

Since her last win July 5 in the Marie Hulman George Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis, Alpine Princess also finished third in the Groupie Doll on Aug. 10 at Ellis Park.

“This filly has been very close to winning some graded stakes,” Cox said. “She’s been a little bit frustrating through the last year-and-a-half or so, but I was glad she stepped up.”

Alpine Princess added $240,455 to bring her earnings to $949,065 from a career record of 17: 6-4-4.

Cox said there were no immediate plans for Alpine Princess’s next race.