Can Lightning Strike Twice for e Five?

Last year Bob Edwards was floored when his newly formed e Five Racing Thoroughbreds won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) with New Money Honey. A year later he's back with another 2-year-old filly for the one-mile turf event at Del Mar.

And while New Money Honey was a 6-1 shot, e Five's Rushing Fall figures to be among the favorites off her commanding 3 1/4-length score in Keeneland's JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G3T) as the 4-5 favorite.

Don't think lightning can strike twice?

Edwards thinks he can, and has the right people in place to make it work.

"Mike Ryan is my bloodstock agent, and I don't do anything without Mike," Edwards said.

Ryan and Edwards picked out Rushing Fall (More Than Ready —Autumnal, by Forestry) for $320,000 at last summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale from Taylor Made Sales Agency. She was bred by Fred Hertrich III and John D. Fielding.

"This filly just kind of came to us," Edwards said. "We went back and looked at her a few times, and we loved her. I'm a huge fan of More Than Ready."

The filly was sent to Ian Brennan at Stonestreet Training and Rehabilitation Center near Ocala, Fla., for early training, and then on to trainer Chad Brown. Considering Brown has won the race three times (with Maram, 2008; Lady Eli, 2014; and New Money Honey), that's a pretty potent pair.

"Stonestreet is a first-class organization," Edwards said. "They take care of my babies and get them ready. Chad had a plan. He saw the horse on the farm and said, 'Bob, I want this horse.' He liked everything about this horse."

Rushing Fall broke her maiden in her debut Sept. 16 going a mile on the turf at Belmont Park, then went to Keeneland.

"She broke slow in the Jessamine, just like she did in her debut, and (jockey) Javier (Castellano) did a great job of keeping her composed," Edwards said. "They came around the corner wide and it was like everybody was standing still. She kind of looked at everybody as she blew by them and took off when she switched leads. I called her a 'turf rocket.' "

Caught by surprise with New Money Honey's score a year, the win still remains fresh in Edwards' mind.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said. "We went there not expecting to win; that stuff just doesn't happen. There were some really salty horses in the race. When we got to the winner's circle, they said, 'Turn around, everybody wants to see you.' I thought I'd turn around and see Chad and Javier walking in with the horse, but it was a wall of media taking pictures. We weren't prepped for that."

As for this year, Edwards has the same team in place and another runner with credentials.

"Really good horses overcome all obstacles," he said. "We have the same combination we had last year. Mike Ryan picked the horse; the horse was broken at Stonestreet; they go to Chad, and Chad works his magic."

It wouldn't come as a shock to see Edwards in the winner's circle again.