Falls City Handicap (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
November 26, 2020
This Thanksgiving, there are no restrictions on coming together to enjoy the 18th running of the Falls City Handicap. This Grade 2 event sends older females around the track for nine furlongs for a purse of $200.000. That is down by $50.000 from last year, but the same as the race had been run for between 2014 and 2018. In that race last year, four year old Nude Beach took home the win for Aer Stables in a small, four horse field. This year, we have twice as many going to post. As for Nude Beach, she continues to be active, and ran second in Grade 3 Chilukki here on Saturday for her current trainer, Njvets. Let’s take a moment now to meet the field for this race.
#1- Grand Cyclone (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Mar Garcia)- At the beginning of the year, the Grande Sournoise filly was picked up cheaply, for $20.000, by Maxmillion Farm. Right away, Grand Cyclone would have success, with back to back wins in turf sprints. However, in June, Maximilian took her off of the grass, and she has run well since then, but lacking a win, in a series of Grade 2’s. This is a similar race to most of them, and one of these days she will break through.
#2- Broadway Stripes (Glorify Stables, ridden by G Corrales)- This filly was very successful running with the statebred condition at WO, and that included winning the $500.000 WO Oaks in June. That stretch ended when she left Canada and headed to SAR for the Alabama, where she struggled. She has made just one start since then, the Grade 3 RP Oaks in late September, where she was second. Now, with two months to think about, she seems to be in a very good spot if she run like she did at WO.
#3- True Talent (Serenity Stables, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)– Acquired by the trainer back in June for $200.000 from Northern Acre Stable after she ran fifth in the Grade 2 Santa Maria, a race that also featured last year’s winner, Nude Beach. Since then, she has run three times while in the Serenity silks, with two second place finishes. Most recently, she was the runner up in the Empire Distaff for NY breds. I think she will like getting a little more distance here, too.
#4- Ghost In The Shell (John Henry, ridden by R Bejarano)- Nice to get a chance to cover this horse again, because when she was at her best last year, I really enjoyed covering her. She was not a BC Distaff caliber horse in 2020, but the year is not a total wash. Since arriving wirth John Henry, she is winless in five starts, however three of those saw her run within a half length of the winner. She is plenty capable still, but just needing luck on her side. Perhaps this can be that day.
#5- Coconut Princess (Rampage Stable, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Here is the only three year old in the field, and she will have it tough in that she does not get a weight allowance. In fact, she is carrying one more pound than two of her opponents in the race. A reason for that is that, two starts ago, she was the winner in the Grade 3 Pine Stakes. Off of that, she took on strong company in the Grade 1 Cotillion at PRX, and placed sixth. After two months, this is a drop in terms of the purse she is running for. If only she could carry a few less pounds.
#6- Laffy Crack (Night Rider Stables, ridden by G Saez)- Carrying 121 pounds, Laffy Crack is one of the two high weights in the field. It is not a huge disadvantage, being two or three pounds greater than all but one. The reason for this is her win back in July, a strong looking effort in the Grade 2 DEL Handicap. She followed that up nicely in the Personal Ensign, where she was fourth, and less than half a length from victory. After a disappointment, she placed second in the Grade 1 Spinster in early October. This makes her well rested and ready to roll here.
#7- Speedy Ginger (The Sidley Stud, ridden by G Saez)- This filly by Ginger Haggis shares the distinction of being the high weight of the field, also carrying 121 pounds. Speedy Ginger is coming into this race on a two-race winning streak. After a string of ungraded stakes and smaller graded 3’s, she was dropped into a smaller open allowance at FE in October against three others. Not surprisingly, she won, and she then ran in the Turnback The Alarm Handicap, which she also won. Now, she tries to make it three straight.
#8- Scarlet And Grey (Nakamura Stables, ridden by D Cohen)- Finally, on the outside, we have this veteran four year old that will be making the 21st start of her career. She has won six times, with three of them coming this year. Two were early, highlighted by an ungraded stake which saw her attempt the La Troienne. She was decent there, running fourth, but was unable to build on that effort. Her last win was in August at the Grade 3 Shuvee. Last ran in the Spinster, and was only fifth, two lengths behind Laffy Crack.
Prediction: 2-6-3-1
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
