Miss Isella skims the rail in Falls City surprise

Miss Isella skims the rail in Falls City surprise

Domino Stud of Lexington's homebred MISS ISELLA (Silver Charm) looked to be

up against it when making her stakes debut in Thursday's $169,800 Falls City H.

(G2) at Churchill Downs. Accordingly, the gray sophomore was ignored in the

wagering at 15-1, while an older daughter of Silver Charm, Rampart H. (G2)

conqueror Spring Waltz, was favored at 2-1. But the public backed the wrong

Silver Charm, for Spring Waltz was never in the hunt. Instead, it was Miss

Isella who benefited from a patented rail-hugging ride by Calvin Borel to defeat

Skylighter (Sky Mesa) by one length, and in the process, vindicated the judgment

of trainer Ian Wilkes.

A scramble for the lead ensued through the opening quarter in :23 3/5, with

Brownie Points (Forest Wildcat) narrowly in front of Swift Temper (Giant's

Causeway), Devil House (Chester House) and Stop a Train (Devil His Due). Swift

Temper soon established control while reeling off splits of :47 4/5 and 1:12

1/5, but Devil House was pressing intently on her outside, Brownie Points was

tracking just behind her on the fence, and Skylighter looked to be in the garden

spot in a stalking fourth on the outside. Meanwhile, Miss Isella, who had been

settled just past midpack, began to move up stealthily.

Turning for home, Skylighter advanced to challenge Swift Temper, but the

really eye-catching action took place the rail. Miss Isella, who was suddenly

moving best of all, rallied boldly to take command and opened up by 1 1/2

lengths in midstretch. Skylighter stayed on determinedly to narrow the gap, but

the winner was never in danger while completing 1 1/8 miles on the fast track in

1:50 3/5. Miss Isella furnished healthy mutuels of $32.60, $12.60 and $8.20.

Skylighter, the 7-2 second choice, returned $5.40 and $3.80 for finishing a

clear second by one length. Tell It as It Is (Chester House), who had lagged far

back in 10th through the first half-mile, got up for third, paying $11.40 at

31-1. The exacta was worth $195.80, the trifecta totaled $5,567.80, and with the

6-1 Swift Temper soldiering on for fourth, another two lengths astern, the

4-6-3-5 superfecta was good for $51,825.80.

Brownie Points checked in fifth, followed by Spring Waltz; Wilkes' other

entrant, Tiz to Dream (Tiznow), who had a bad start and was a long-way last

early; Copper State (Jump Start); Stop a Train; Devil House; and Initforthekandy

(Kandaly). Unforgotten (Northern Afleet) was scratched.

Miss Isella's victory in the 94th Falls City advanced her record to 11-4-1-1

while more than doubling her earnings to $192,743. A maiden winner at Churchill

as a juvenile, she cleared her entry-level allowance condition beneath the Twin

Spires this past June and captured a second-level allowance/optional claimer at

Turfway Park in September. Miss Isella was coming off a close but troubled

second at Churchill, beaten a head by Grade 2 winner Game Face (Menifee) in a

seven-furlong allowance/optional claimer.

Out of the unraced La Cucina (Ire) (Last Tycoon [Ire]), the Kentucky-bred is

a half-sister to 2003 Arkansas Derby (G2) hero Sir Cherokee (Cherokee Run) and

the multiple Grade 3-placed Lady Linda (Torrential). La Cucina's latest

offspring are an unraced juvenile colt named Guam Typhoon (Distorted Humor), an

unnamed yearling filly by Speightstown and a weanling colt by Maria's Mon.