Rushaway Stakes ($250.000 Purse)
TP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 23, 2024
The Rushaway Stakes appeared on the schedule for the first time and as we move forward, this should be a race that continues to attract a lot of interest. A strong field of took part, and it would be one of the more lightly raced runners, Good Memories, getting the win and doing so by two lengths. It would be possible for Mb Stables to make a bid to get him in the KYD by bringing him back in two weeks, but with all of his other great three-year-olds, he doesn’t really have too. For now, he will enjoy his second win in the Rushaway Stakes, as he also did so in 2017 with the late The Hand Youre Dealt when the purse was only $100.000. Good Memories was among our picks, but not the top choice. J Lezcano is the winning rider, and it is also his second win, as he previously won in 2016. The time of the win was 1:41.21, and given the improved conditions for the race, it is not a surprise that is a new stake record. Let’s have a look at it now:
(1/4 Mile- :23.21)- Good Memories, our eventual winner from Mb Stables, is strong right from the gate and takes the early lead. Lucky Brandy, coming from the far outside for The Sidley Stud, isn’t going to let him be all alone up front, and is within half a length. Superbush is next, positioned to come on between them for Night Rider Stables if he wanted to do so, and then it’s a length to Party In The Storm (Jokerjoes), Derby Dreams (TwinTowersRacing), and Coppa Blue (Riggins Racing) who all just off the lead. Empire State (First Class Stable) and Dahmer (Mb Stables) are in the middle of the pack, a length ahead of Home Team Advantage (Lazy Eye). At the back of the pack are Without Failure (Fractious), Kings Justice (Paradise Stable), and Redeemer (Avenue Z).
(½ Mile- :46.87)- Down the backstretch, Good Memories is looking strong, and has put away Lucky Brandy for the moment, as that one may be feeling the effect of the outside trip. He’s still second, though, and a length ahead of Superbush, who is content to hold his spot in line and not push forward more. Derby Dreams, Party In The Storm, and Coppa Blue still try to hang with the lead group, and both Dahmer and Empire State still run side by side. Further back, Without Failure moved up a bit to join Home Team Advantage, and both Kings Justice and Redeemer are at the back.
(Top of Stretch, 1.6F To Go)- It may be too early to declare Good Memories the winner, but he is looking very strong, handling the turn well and emerging at the top of the stretch with a two and a half length lead. There would be none of those that were close to him mounting any sort of charge, as they would only fall further back. Lucky Brandy and Superbush were still second and third, but dropping, and we had to wonder who might be coming from behind. Unless Good Memories collapsed, this race was his, but second place could be there for the taking.
(Finish; 1:41.21)- It’s all Good Memories today. In a dominant effort, he jumped out to the lead early, and impressively scored a wire-to-wire win by two lengths. In fact, the only horse he probably saw today was Lucky Brandy for a moment, and other than that, this was not much different than a work for him. Mb Stables has plenty of KYD options, but this effort will be tempting to push him back in two weeks to see what he can do there. Second goes to Home Team Advantage, one of several who were at the back most of the way, getting past many others to cash a check. Give Without Failure third and Kings Justice fourth, and if it weren’t for Good Memories, these three would have a good stretch battle for a victory. The rest of the order will read Superbush, Dahmer, Lucky Brandy, Redeemer, Derby Dreams, Party In The Storm, Coppa Blue and Empire State.
About The Winner- Good Memories, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by J Lezcano, is a three-year-old colt by Kashatreya and is out of Reminisce. He was bred in Ontario by Mb Stables as a third quarter two-year-old, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in three starts and first stake win. His career earnings now stand at $165.000.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | ||
| 9 | Good Memories | Mb Stables | Lezcano J | 5.10 | 12 | 1:41.21 | |||
| 4 | Home Team Advantage | Lazy Eye | Pedroza M Jr | 6.85 | 21/2 | 1:41.67 | |||
| 10 | Without Failure | Fractious | Silvera Ru | 29.95 | 31/2 | 1:41.81 | |||
| 5 | Kings Justice | Paradise Stable | Espinoza V | 7.85 | 4hd | 1:41.93 | |||
| 6 | Superbush | Night Rider Stables | Ortiz J L | 10.25 | 51/4 | 1:41.96 | |||
| 3 | Dahmer | Mb Stables | Pennington F | 9.25 | 6no | 1:42.04 | |||
| 12 | Lucky Brandy | The Sidley Stud | Husbands P | 3.30 | 71/2 | 1:42.05 | |||
| 11 | Redeemer | Avenue Z | Alvarado F T | 10.45 | 8nk | 1:42.16 | |||
| 2 | Derby Dreams | TwinTowersRacing | Cedillo A | 9.90 | 9nk | 1:42.22 | |||
| 1 | Party In The Storm | Jokerjoes | Rodriguez Jam | 10.15 | 10hd | 1:42.29 | |||
| 8 | Coppa Blue | Riggins Racing | Hernandez R M | 355.45 | 111 | 1:42.33 | |||
| 7 | Empire State | First Class Stable | Jimenez A | 17.75 | 12 | 1:42.61 |
Track: Fast
Time: :231 :464 1:103 1:411
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 9 – Good Memories | 12.20 | 6.10 | 4.70 |
| 4 – Home Team Advantage | 7.00 | 5.40 | |
| 10 – Without Failure | 28.70 |
$1 Exacta: 9 – 4 Paid 78.60
$1 Trifecta: 9 – 4 – 10 Paid 1,043.70
Scratched: Best Of West
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
