Rock Fall delivers in True North for first graded stakes win
ELMONT, N.Y. – Rock Fall made the big leap from allowance company straight to winning a graded stakes and did so with a flair, when parlaying a perfect trip into a convincing 3 3/4-length victory over Stallwalkin’ Dude in Friday’s $250,000 True North at Belmont Park.
Rock Fall brought a four-race winning streak spread over nearly 13 months into the Grade 2 True North and had his chances enhanced even further when drawing the extreme outside in a field that ultimately scratched down to seven starters.
With regular rider Javier Castellano aboard, Rock Fall sat a perfect trip stalking the early pace of Favorite Tale, forged three wide to the lead entering the stretch, shook off stablemate Eastwood at midstretch, then increased his advantage to the wire. Stallwalkin’ Dude, who brought a four-race win streak of his own into the True North, was last approaching the stretch, swung widest, and finished willingly on the extreme outside to be second best while no match for the winner.
Dad’s Caps, who had to steady along some awaiting clearance on the turn, finished third followed by Eastwood, Favorite Tale, who stumbled at the break, the slow-starting Clearly Now, and Tenango. Captain Serious was scratched.
Rock Fall is trained by Todd Pletcher for Stonestreet Stables. He covered six furlongs in 1:08.37 and paid $4.40.
“You see the overnight come out, draw a good post like that, and it helps,” said Pletcher. “It allows you some options early on. He’s versatile enough to be able to accelerate off fast fractions. You see it on the turf more often than dirt, and I think that is what’s made him into a top sprinter.”
Pletcher had the notion Rock Fall could be a special horse early in his career.
“When he broke his maiden, I said I thought this might be a real nice horse,” Pletcher said. “Then he followed with a big allowance win, but we had to give him some time off. He’s won five in a row now. That’s hard to do, especially sprinting, and it’s seems like he’s really found his groove.”