Rushing Fall Closes Career as Champion Turf Female

For trainer Chad Brown the sting of watching his great mare Rushing Fall lose by a neck in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) was doubly painful.

As tough as any narrow loss at the World Championships can be, what added to Brown's anguish was knowing it was her final start before beginning life as a broodmare in 2021. In his heart, after guiding Bob Edwards' e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' mare through four dazzling seasons of racing, he staunchly believed she deserved to close her career with a victory.

Which she did—though not in the traditional sense.

The daughter of More Than Ready , bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding, was indeed a winner in her final race Jan. 28 as she prevailed at the Eclipse Awards ballot box to become the champion turf female of 2020.

"This award is the cherry on top of a remarkable career, and it makes up for the loss in the Breeders' Cup. She's going out as a champion on top of her division. The Eclipse Award is a bit of redemption going into her new career," Brown said. "It's been an extremely gratifying, rewarding, pleasurable experience for me and my staff to work with her. She's been a very dependable, reliable, consistent filly."

In her ultra-consistent career, Rushing Fall won 11 of 15 starts with three seconds and earned $2,893,000. Included in those totals were her 2020 campaign that featured three wins and the second in the Filly & Mare Turf, falling a neck shy of completing an undefeated season.

The three wins were highlighted by triumphs in the Diana Stakes (G1T) and Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T), bringing her total of grade 1 laurels to six since 2017. Those victories also lifted Rushing Fall into exclusive company with the likes of Lady Eli and Beholder as grade 1 winners at 2, 3, 4, and 5.

"She's an all-time great horse and Hall of Fame worthy," Brown said about the mare who raced for Edwards and his family and was sold for $5.5 million to M.V. Magnier at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale, a day after her Breeders' Cup loss.

"When you win grade 1s four years in a row on turf, where it's trip and weather dependent, that's hard to do."

Running against the best competition was a hallmark of her career as eight of her final nine starts came in grade 1 company.