Rushing Fall the Major Player in Just a Game
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Photo: Keeneland Photo/Photos by Z
Rushing Fall wins the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland
The first four finishers from the May 4 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs will face one another again in the June 8 Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) on the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) undercard. But this time they'll also have to deal with Rushing Fall, a nearly flawless 4-year-old who will be odds-on to take the $700,000 test at a flat mile.
Rushing Fall spots her competition between two and 10 pounds off her seven victories and one runner-up finish from eight starts. Her maiden victory came at Belmont Park at a mile, and she's since collected top-level decisions in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T) and Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland. She has run out better than $1.5 million in earnings for Bob Edwards' e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, which purchased her at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, for $320,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment
The daughter of More Than Ready —Autumnal, by Forestry, was bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding. She has won on the lead, pressing the pace, or by running from far back for trainer Chad Brown. She looks to be the controlling speed in this affair.
"She's been training great, and Chad has done a phenomenal job with her," said Edwards. "She seems to run well on everything, but she doesn't really have a favorite surface because she runs well everywhere we place her. She's very versatile. She can run off the pace, she can wire the field, she can do whatever.
"Javier (Castellano) works her in the mornings, and on big days he really seems to ride her perfectly. When she's in the paddock, she just walks around and struts her stuff. A mile is the perfect distance for her, so hopefully she lives up to the experience on Saturday."
Beau Recall took the Distaff Turf Mile from well off the pace and has won three of her past four outings for Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing and trainer Brad Cox. She has no early speed and will be looking for pace to run at in this out. The daughter of Sir Prancealot finished off the board in her lone Belmont start.
Got Stormy has fallen short while hitting the board in her past two races, which were won by Beau Recall and Rushing Fall, respectively. The Get Stormy filly is a grade 3 winner in solid form for owners Gary Barber and Southern Equine Stable and trainer Mark Casse.
Daddy Is a Legend won the Lake George Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course last summer for Jim and Susan Hill and trainer George Weaver and is another come-from-behinder. She usually collects a solid check from each race but needs to step up her game here. The Scat Daddy filly was third in the Distaff Turf Mile.
Environs checked in fourth in that event after a slow beginning. Having raced in France with Andre Fabre, the daughter of Dansili will make her third start for Brown and owner Juddmonte Farms.
Juddmonte also sends out the Bill Mott-trained My Charmer Stakes (G3T) winner Capla Temptress, a daughter of Lope De Vega who was second to Rushing Fall in the Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga last summer. She won the grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine at 2 but lacks early speed. Bortolazzo Stable's Bellavais was well beaten by Rushing Fall in the Jenny Wiley, but the Todd Pletcher trainee looks like she can assume a stalking spot here from which to try and turn the tables.
Belmont Park, Saturday, June 08, 2019, Race 4Entries: Longines Just a Game S. (G1T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Daddy Is a Legend (PA)
Manuel Franco
115
George Weaver
6/1
2
2Bellavais (KY)
John R. Velazquez
115
Todd A. Pletcher
12/1
3
3Beau Recall (IRE)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
121
Brad H. Cox
4/1
4
4Rushing Fall (KY)
Javier Castellano
123
Chad C. Brown
4/5
5
5Capla Temptress (IRE)
Joel Rosario
115
William I. Mott
20/1
6
6Environs (GB)
Jose L. Ortiz
113
Chad C. Brown
8/1
7
7Got Stormy (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
117
Mark E. Casse
6/1
