Blue Prize romps in Falls City Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Moments before the Falls City Handicap was run Thursday as the traditional Thanksgiving Day feature at Churchill Downs, trainer Ignacio Correas was asked if the holiday was celebrated in his native Argentina.

Correas laughed. “No, but I’m going to celebrate right now,” he said.

And did he ever. Blue Prize, ridden by Jimmy Graham, ended months of frustration when powering to an 8 1/2-length victory over five other fillies and mares in the 102nd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Falls City. Carrying 118 pounds, two fewer than the co-highweights, Blue Prize snapped a series of just-miss efforts with her first victory in six starts in the U.S.

Owned by the Merriebelle Stable of John Moores, Blue Prize paid $8 as third choice after finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.30 over a fast track.

“She had been training so good, better than ever,” said Correas. “If she wasn’t going to win here, I didn’t know when.”

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Tiger Moth, a 14-1 shot, rallied late to be second, another length before Faithfully, the even-money favorite. They were followed in order by Rachel’s Temper, Motown Lady, and Money’soncharlotte. Faithfully and Money’soncharlotte carried high weight of 120 pounds each.

Weep No More, winner of the Grade 1 Ashland in 2016, was an early scratch after racing here last weekend in the Cardinal Handicap and has been retired.

Blue Prize, a 4-year-old Argentine-bred by Pure Prize, had finished second in four straight races – including a nose defeat in an ungraded stakes at Saratoga in August – after being imported from Argentina, where she was a Group 1 winner from just four tries. In her last two races, she had been second as the favorite in the Grade 3 Locust Grove, then third in the Grade 1 Spinster in the Keeneland slop.

“It was after Saratoga that she really got going in the right direction,” said Correas. “She had been a bit of a mental case, but now I have her right.”

On a bright but chilly afternoon, Blue Prize broke sharply to assume a perfect position from just outside of Money’soncharlotte, the 2-1 second choice who set easy enough fractions of 23.82 and 47.76. Leaving the backstretch, Graham made his move, and Money’soncharlotte had no response – nor did any of the others.

“This horse just doesn’t get tired,” said Graham, who has ridden Blue Prize in all but one of her starts on this continent. “I think the distance today was perfect for her.”

The $2 exacta (5-7) paid $71, the $1 trifecta (5-7-4) returned $99.70, and the 10-cent superfecta (5-7-4-2) was worth $53.12.

The Falls City was the first of six graded stakes to be run here during the final week of the 21-day fall meet. Closing day is Sunday.