More Than Ready mare Rushing Fall has landed her fourth Group 1 win ahead of another elite-level campaign in the Just a Game Stakes (1600m) at Belmont Park in New York.
Rushing Fall is one of 24 individual Group 1 winners by the Vinery legend and trainer Chad Brown labelled the latest win her best to date. “She’s one of the greatest turf mares I’ve trained, for sure,” Brown declared on Saturday. “I don’t use the word ‘brilliant’ too often, but it was a real brilliant performance.
“A horse like this doesn’t come around very often. She’s just so versatile – she doesn’t need the lead but has enough speed to really hurt you.”
After showing the way at every call throughout the one-mile turf test, Rushing Fall had company on the corner when Daddy Is a Legend (Scat Daddy) began breathing down her neck. But Javier Castellano diffused any chance of a protracted battle when he balanced up and pushed the button.
“She’s a super-fast horse,” he claimed. “They tried to challenge but it’s amazing the way she finished. She’s so good.”
Rushing Fall (4m More Than Ready – Autumnal by Forestry) completed a hat-trick for Brown in this year’s edition of the Just a Game following A Raving Beauty and Antonoe. She gave weight all-round and clocked a sizzling 1:31.67s which is just 0.03s outside the race record held by Celestine.
Her next target will be the Diana Stakes Gr.1 over 1800m at Saratoga on July 13.
A $320,000 buy for owner Bob Edwards at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, she has now won 8 of 9 starts for earnings of US$1.89million. Her earlier Group 1 scores were in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, 2018 Queen Elizabeth Challenge at Keeneland and 2019 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland.
Earlier on Saturday, More Than Ready 3yo True Attraction booked his entry into black-type ranks with a stylish victory at Belmont Park in Perth.
True Attraction will represent owner-breeder Bob Peters in the Belmont Guineas LR on June 22 following a rails-hugging ride by Willie Pike in the TAB Touch Hcp (1400m). “He’s been full of himself so we decided to back him up off a seven-day break,” Peters explained. “He looked good in the yard today and I knew he would go well because I sold his dam last week!”
More Than Ready sired True Attraction from Significant (Flying Spur) who is a half-sister to Perth Cup Gr.2 winner Crown Prosecutor. The mare made $50,000 to Queensland-based Telemon Stud at the Magic Millions National Sale on the Gold Coast.
More Than Ready has another stakes-winner in waiting following an eye-catching debut by Magic Dance in a juvenile maiden at Churchill Downs on Friday.
Magic Dance (2f More Than Ready – Magical World by Distorted Humor) tracked the pace in a field of first-starters over 1000m and then took command in the lane to stop the clock at 57.60s. She is trained by Steve Asmussen and was retained by Three Chimneys Farm after being withdrawn from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Her dam is a daughter of Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold) who won the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Distaff Gr.1 at Belmont Park.
