Rushing Fall Bids to Join Select Company in Jenny Wiley

Rushing Fall chases a $350,000 purse July 11 in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and, perhaps just as valued, her place in racing history.

With a win in the Jenny Wiley, a 1 1/16-mile turf race, Rushing Fall would join champions Beholder and Lady Eli as the only horses to win grade 1 races at 2, 3, 4, and 5 since at least 1976. Like them, she is a Breeders' Cup winner, having won the 2017 Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

She could also elevate her position in the Keeneland record books. Her four Keeneland stakes victories are tied with Take Charge Lady for second-most at the track, according to Keeneland publicity. Hall of Famer Wise Dan won a record seven stakes there.

Although Rushing Fall is in peak form after winning the Beaugay Stakes (G3T) by two lengths in her season debut June 3 at Belmont Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Belmont Park, she faces a challenging test Saturday matched against a number of classy rivals, including at least one who has the speed to keep up with her early.

Jolie Olimpica, a group 1 winner in Brazil and a two-time graded winner in the U.S., stretches out from turf sprints and is quick—suggesting Rushing Fall won't be unopposed early, as she has been at times over her career.

On two such occasions at Keeneland, Rushing Fall led throughout in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T) in 2018 and in last year's Jenny Wiley. Those achievements aside, she is not one-dimensional. She also won the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G3T) in 2017 and the 2018 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland from off the pace.

The Chad Brown trainee owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds is 4-for-5 at Keeneland. The only loss was a fourth-place finish behind stablemate Uni in the First Lady Stakes Presented by UK HealthCare (G1T) Oct. 5 in her final start of 2019.

"She went to Keeneland and she just wasn't 100%. She didn't have that same glow about her," said Bob Edwards, whose e Five Racing Thoroughbreds owns the mare. "I didn't want her to kind of end on that note."

Given time off, she showed those around her she was eager for another racing season in 2020, delaying an eventual career as a broodmare.

"It was a conscious decision to run her again this year—not to go after (Beholder and Lady Eli), but just to run because racing's fun," Edwards said. "We love racing as a family, and the sport itself is great, (and) to have something you can be competitive with on a regular basis like Rushing Fall is just that much more fun."

Javier Castellano, Rushing Fall's rider in every one of her 12 starts, will return in the irons aboard the earner of more than $2 million. He and Brown are three-time winners of the Jenny Wiley, teaming with Ball Dancing (2015) and Rushing Fall last year.

The Bobby Frankel-trained Intercontinental is the last back-to-back Jenny Wiley winner.

Brown's three starters in the Jenny Wiley last year finished 1-2-4. In 2018, eventual champion Sistercharlie keyed a 1-2-3 outcome for the trainer.

This year, the best Brown can manage is an exacta. His only other entrant is Altea, a longshot with six stakes placings.

Besides Rushing Fall and Jolie Olimpica, other graded stakes winners in the field are Secret Message, Juliet Foxtrot, La Signare, Mucho Unusual, and Toinette.

Jolie Olimpica, Mucho Unusual, and Toinette shipped to Keeneland from California, though Toinette has past experience in Kentucky. She won an allowance race at Keeneland in April 2018, then beat Rushing Fall by a neck in the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G3T) at Churchill Downs a month later.

Fox Hill Farms' Jolie Olimpica has never raced longer than a mile. Her two wins in this country came at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, outlasting eventual Jaipur Stakes (G1T) winner Oleksandra in capturing the May 25 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park.

She recorded her group 1 win in Brazil at a mile but faded to second in her one start at that distance in the U.S. after being keen early in the Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) under Mike Smith, who has the ride again Saturday.

"She ran a nice race in a mile but wasn't quite ready to settle into that just yet, I don't think," said her Hall of Fame trainer, Richard Mandella.

He is optimistic that with more training and experience, she can fare better in her second route attempt in the U.S.

"She's awfully gifted with a lot of speed. So we're hoping to teach her how to use it when we need to," Mandella said.

The Jenny Wiley is the eighth race on the card. Post time is 4:57 p.m. ET. 

Entries: Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. (G1T)

Keeneland, Saturday, July 11, 2020, Race 8

• Grade IT
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $350,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:57 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Secret Message (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	H. Graham Motion	15/1
2	2Juliet Foxtrot (GB)	Luis Saez	118	Brad H. Cox	8/1
3	3La Signare (FR)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Brendan P. Walsh	30/1
4	4Rushing Fall (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	6/5
5	5Mucho Unusual (CA)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Tim Yakteen	8/1
6	6Jolie Olimpica (BRZ)	Mike E. Smith	118	Richard E. Mandella	5/2
7	7Altea (FR)	Joel Rosario	118	Chad C. Brown	12/1
8	8Toinette (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Neil D. Drysdale	5/1