Rushing Fall gets back to winning ways in Lake Placid

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Neither a 3 1/2-month layoff, a soft turf course, nor 1 1/8 miles could stop Rushing Fall from dominating Saturday’s $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga. The reigning Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner drew away to a convincing 2 3/4-length victory over Capla Temptress in the Grade 2 event for 3-year-old fillies on the grass.

The once-beaten Rushing Fall had been idle since suffering her lone setback in five starts, a hard-luck neck defeat in the Grade 3 Edgewood at Churchill Downs on May 4. Trainer Chad Brown held her out of a scheduled start in the Lake George here last month due to a temperature.

With her regular rider Javier Castellano aboard, Rushing Fall sat a perfect trip in attendance of the pace-setting Go Noni Go, took control approaching the quarter pole, edged clear into the stretch, extended her advantage through the furlong grounds, and was never seriously threatened thereafter.

Capla Temptress lagged near the rear of the well-bunched field for six furlongs, rallied down the center of the course upon settling into the stretch, but proved no match for the winner while easily second-best. Daddy Is a Legend finished another 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third.

Rushing Fall, a daughter of More Than Ready owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.86 and paid $4.70.

“She ran great,” said Brown. “She obviously handled the soft going well. Javier rode a great race. He adapted to the slow pace, let her lay close, he really waited to push the button on her, and when he did she really responded. I’m proud of her.”

Brown said he could train Rushing Fall up to the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth this fall at Keeneland, although didn’t rule out the Sands Point at Belmont as a stepping-stone to that goal.