Rushing Fall ‘Just Didn’t Breeze Well,’ Held Out Of Ballston Spa

Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) and jockey Javier Castellano win the Just a Game (Gr I) at Belmont Park 6/8/19. Trainer: Chad Brown. Owner: e Five Racing Thoroughbreds

There have been very few bad days in the life of multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall, both in her competitive outings and in her routing preparations. So when the daughter of More Than Ready turned in a lackluster half-mile workout on August 17, trainer Chad Brown took that as a sign he needed to take a wait and see approach with regards to the filly’s next start.

When entries for the Grade 2 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa at Saratoga were drawn this week, the complexion of the race immediately changed as Rushing Fall – who would have been the overwhelming favorite – did not show up on the overnight. Brown said he wasn’t pleased with he saw from the bay filly in her four-furlong work in :52.49 last weekend and will hold off on committing her to another spot.

“We’re going to reevaluate her. For the first time in her life, she just didn’t breeze well for whatever reason this weekend so I don’t want to take any chances with her,” Brown said. “She looks fine out of the breeze, but she’s done so much for us and like we do with all of our horses when they don’t work well, we just take a step back and evaluate them. This was uncharacteristic for her but we’ve got the right people looking at her and hopefully she’ll be back to the races soon.”

Rushing Fall captured the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes and Grade 1 Longines Just a Game in her first two starts this year and was most recently second to champion stablemate Sistercharlie (IRE) in the July 13 Grade 1 Diana.