Rushing Fall, Uni lead Brown group with five-furlong works on Belmont turf

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Chad Brown sent out an arsenal of graded stakes winners for workouts over the Belmont turf course Sunday as they prepare for upcoming stakes. Many have the Breeders’ Cup as their ultimate destination.

Rushing Fall, the six-time Grade 1-winning mare, and Uni, the champion female turf horse of 2019, led the procession of 14 horses, breezing five furlongs together in 1:00.78, in tandem through a final quarter in 23.21 seconds.

Rushing Fall, whose three victories from as many starts this year include the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley and the Grade 1 Diana, is simply training up to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7. Brown said he doesn’t feel Rushing Fall needs another race before then and said he doesn’t like the distances of the available races beforehand.

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While Brown said the Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/16 miles is the preferred race, he didn’t rule out pre-entering Rushing Fall in the Mile as well.

Uni, winless in two starts this year including a seventh-place finish in the Fourstardave, is being pointed to the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland on Oct. 3.

Newspaperofrecord, who suffered her first defeat of 2020 when second to Beau Recall in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf mile on Sept. 5, is also pointing to the First Lady, Brown said. On Sunday, she worked four furlongs in 48.78 seconds in company with Viadera, the De La Rose Stakes winner who is pointing to Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Nobel Damsel at Belmont Park.

Brown said Tyler Gaffalione will ride Newspaperofrecord in the First Lady. Regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. is on suspension that day and Javier Castellano, who rode her in the Distaff Turf Mile, is scheduled to ride at Belmont Park on Oct. 3.

Sistercharlie, the female champion turf horse of 2018 who is 0 for 2 this year, worked five furlongs in 1:01.30 Sunday in company with Domestic Spending. Sistercharlie, third in both the Diana and Ballston Spa at Saratoga, is pointing to the Grade 1 Flower Bowl. Domestic Spending, winner of the Saratoga Derby, is pointing to the Belmont Derby on Oct. 3, Brown said.

Brown believes Sistercharlie is moving in the right direction.

“Her last race she was against the bias, I thought that she finished up well and I think she’s moving forward,” he said.

Digital Age, winner of the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and Rockemperor, third in that race, worked a half-mile in company in 48.53 seconds Sunday. Brown said he is still in the process of finalizing plans for their next starts.

Analyze It and Master Piece worked a half-mile together in 49.60 seconds over the turf Sunday. Analyze It, who came off a 22-month layoff to win the Grade 3 Red Bank at Monmouth on Sept. 5, is pointing to the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Master Piece, a Group 2 winner in Chile, could make his U.S. debut for Brown in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont on Oct. 3. “Although it’s off a layoff going that far, he trains like a high-quality horse,” Brown said.

Raging Bull and Without Parole worked five furlongs together in 1:02.20. Both are under consideration for the Shadwell Turf Mile, Brown said.

*** Funny Guy, a candidate for the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap on Oct. 3, worked five furlongs in 59.66 seconds in company with Tale of the Union.