Rushing Fall Extends Legacy With Jenny Wiley Repeat
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Photo: TeamCoyle Photo
Rushing Fall wins the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland
Spring, fall, or even during a historic summer meet made necessary by COVID-19, Rushing Fall loves Keeneland.
The 5-year-old daughter of More Than Ready not only defended her title in the $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) July 11 at the Lexington track, but set course and stakes records when she completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:39.02 on firm turf under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.
A graded stakes winner for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds at 2, 3, 4, and now 5, the Chad Brown trainee combined her Jenny Wiley wins with victories in the 2018 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T), the 2018 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T), and the 2017 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G3T) for a Keeneland quintet. She trails only two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan (seven) for most stakes scores at Keeneland.
"Everyone wishes for a horse like this," said owner Bob Edwards of e Five. "I hope I get another one in my racing career like her. This is just phenomenal. We're all sitting around watching it at the house. I'm still shaking. The adrenaline spike is still there, even when you're watching from your couch."
Typically a frontrunner, Rushing Fall showed a different dimension Saturday. She tracked second off the outside flank of pacesetter Jolie Olimpica through fractions of :23.42, :46.94, and 1:10.10, then took over through a 1:33.02 mile en route to a victory by three-quarters of a length.
"She's the type of horse that she doesn't have to be on the lead," Castellano said. "Today it worked out great. I could keep track of the frontrunner. The way she did it is amazing. She's a really nice filly."
"She's tenacious, and once she got a nose ahead, she wasn't letting up," Edwards said. "She was going to bury her."
Rushing Fall was sent off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of eight older fillies and mares and returned $3.60, $2.60, and $2.10.
It was half a length back to Juliet Foxtrot in third. Altea and Toinette finished in a dead heat for fourth and were followed by Secret Message, La Signare, and Mucho Unusual to complete the order of finish.
The Jenny Wiley was Rushing Fall's ninth graded victory, five of them grade 1 events. She joins Intercontinental (2004-05) as the only repeat Jenny Wiley winner. In addition to her Keeneland scores, she won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar and the 2019 Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. She has raced exclusively in graded company since breaking her maiden at first asking at Belmont in September 2017.
Rushing Fall gallops home before spectatorless stands
"It's a dream come true," Edwards said of Rushing Fall's remarkable record. According to Keeneland, she is just the third horse since 1976 to win a grade 1 at 2, 3, 4, and 5, joining Lady Eli and Beholder.
Bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding out of the Forestry mare Autumnal, Rushing Fall was a $320,000 purchase by agent Mike Ryan from Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment to the 2016 edition of The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She improved her earnings to $2,278,000 with 10 wins and two seconds from 13 starts.
Autumnal, also the dam of stakes winner Milam and stakes-placed Autumn Song, produced a full brother to Rushing Fall in 2020.