Rushing Fall runs away with Saratoga's Lake Placid Stakes
After her only career defeat, then missing
the Grade 3 Lake George with a fever, Rushing Fall
came back in dominant fashion to win Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid for
3-year-old fillies at Saratoga.
The victory at 1 1/8 miles also marked the first time e Five Racing – which has won multiple Breeders’ Cup races and also co-owns Travers 2018 favorite Good Magic – made it into the winner’s circle at the Spa.
“We’ve won everywhere else, but we haven’t won here,” said Bob Edwards of e Five Racing, “so to win here is very special.”
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champion
opened her season by winning the Grade 2 Appalachian but hit a snag after the
Keeneland victory. Rushing Fall suffered her first loss in the Grade 3 Edgewood
on Kentucky Derby weekend, with Toinette upsetting her by a neck.
Trainer Chad
Brown said he wanted to run her in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational July 7
but she couldn’t make the race. Then, after pointing to the July 20 Lake
George, Rushing Fall developed the fever and was forced to pass.
Finally back in the Lake Placid over a “soft” turf course, Rushing Fall sat just off the pace under Jacier Castellano behind Go Noni Go. Andina Del Sur rushed up for third after a slow break and settled ahead of Significant Form, Lake George winner Daddy Is a Legend, Capla Temptress and Thewayiam on the rail.
Go Noni Go set a slow pace with opening quarters of 25.29 and 50.20. Rushing Fall made a swift move under regular jockey Javier Castellano and the pair took off down the stretch. Capla Temptress made a late move and Daddy Is a Legend tried to make up ground, but Rushing Fall was long gone, crossing the wire in 1:51.86 while 2 3/4 lengths in front.
“He [Castellano] let her lay really close and a mile and an eighth may be a little far for her,” Brown said after the race, “but he really waited to push the button on her and when he did she really responded. I’m so proud of her.”
The world traveler Capla Temptress got up for second over Daddy Is a Legend, Andina Del Sur, Significant Form, Go Noni Go and Thewayiam.
“I like the way she ran on the yielding turf,” Castellano said. “I think we took advantage of it. All the credit goes to Chad Brown. He was patient with the filly. Skipping the [Lake George] paid off today. She’s a nice filly and she did excellent.”
A neck shy of being perfect in six starts, Rushing Fall got her career started at Saratoga when she was just a yearling. A daughter of More Than Ready, she sold for $320,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tiption New York sale for select yearlings.
The Lake Placid purse pushed her earnings over the $1 million mark, and Brown is looking at more big races down the road for his impressive filly.
“I’m not sure what the next step for her will be. I might just train her up to the Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland,” the trainer said. “It’s a Grade 1 and a very prestigious race. There’s a race in between [the Grade 2 Sands Point Sept. 15] at Belmont, we’ll take a good look at it as well.”