Rushing Fall leads throughout in Beaugay

As she's done for four seasons now, Rushing Fall kicked off her campaign Wednesday with a victory. The odds-on favorite in the $97,000 Beaugay (G3) on opening day at Belmont Park, the 5-year-old mare led wire-to-wire under Javier Castellano to register her ninth win from 12 lifetime starts.

Making her first start since early October for trainer Chad Brown, the daughter of More Than Ready seized the early lead from second choice Got Stormy and maintained an advantage of around a length to the stretch. Rushing Fall kicked clear from there and won comfortably by two lengths in a time of 1:41.70 for 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf that was rated firm.

"You could see right away that she was battling with [Got Stormy]," Castellano said. "She was so relaxed, when I asked a little bit at the three-sixteenth pole, she took off again. She put me right where I wanted to be. I wrapped her up in the last part. I'm looking forward to her next race."

Owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, Rushing Fall paid $3.70. Italian import Call Me Love rallied to finish second while Passing Out edged Got Stormy late for third. Xenobia completed the order of finish in the small field of five fillies and mares.

This was the eighth career stakes win for Rushing Fall, whose career highlights include Grade 1 scores in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, 2018 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, and 2019 editions of the Jenny Wiley and Just a Game. A logical next start for her would be a title defense of either the one-mile Just a Game, which is scheduled for June 27, or the Jenny Wiiley at Keeneland on July 11. Rushing Fall's record now stands at 12-9-2-0, $2,068,000.

Bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding, Rushing Fall was produced by Autumnal, a daughter of Forestry who's also reared the Grade 3-placed stakes winner Milam. This extended female family includes Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Albert the Great.