Rushaway Stakes ($250.000 Purse)
TP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 23, 2024
Returning to the schedule in 2024 will be the Rushaway Stakes, a race that was last held in 2020 and was run inconsistently since 2006. The main reason for that was probably the purse level, as on a couple occasions, it went for under $100.000 and then was exactly that every other year. The current $250.000 amount is something that has never been seen for this race, and if that remains, this could become a very appealing race. At over a mile on the main track for three-year-olds, it should generate interest for trainers to run better three-year-olds that may be slightly off the KYD trail, but very capable of getting into bigger races over the summer. The gate is full, and in many cases, you can see this race being used for up and comers that we could hear from more later on. Let’s meet the field!
1- Party In The Storm (Jokerjoes, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- We start this off with a horse that we’ll need to be watching for in the stretch. Party In The Storm has done his best running late up to this point, but that has only led to one win and a second out of five starts. Is here off a second in a HOU allowance but did not impress in a recent work here at the beginning of the month. As we know, there can be reasons for that. Maybe there will be an effort to get him at least a little closer to the front early on.
2- Derby Dreams (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Cedillo)- While he has dreams of a derby, his bigger challenge was getting a win. At long last, that came at SA last month in a wire-to-wire effort in what was his ninth start. He’s working well, so all of the pieces are there, and we have seen many examples of horses putting a winning streak together once they get that first one. If that happens here, those dreams of a derby may not be the Kentucky one, but it may be a good one.
3- Dahmer (Mb Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- We saw him here about two months ago in the $125.000 Leonatus Stakes, and he disappointed many as the post time favorite with a flat seventh place effort. He had run well at FG in the two races prior, so there was reason to be excited about his chances there, but he didn’t deliver. Now, with some time away and for Mb Stables to figure out to get Dahmer rolling again, this Tactical colt can redeem himself on this racetrack.
4- Home Team Advantage (Lazy Eye, ridden by M Pedroza Jr)- This is a horse making the jump from allowance competition after scoring a win at FG last month. In that, he came from off the pace to get the win, but not as far back as Party In The Storm will often find himself. He has not raced long a ton yet, but the potential is clearly there. His last mile work came at TUP in January, and that was good, so I am curious to know how much more he may have improved since then.
5- Kings Justice (Paradise Stable, ridden by V Espinoza)- We have mainly seen Kings Justice do his running on the turf, as that has been the surface of choice for the last six races. There were a couple of stake attempts in there, but both of them resulted in poor finishes. Finally, was able to turn things around in his last start two months ago, a wire-to-wire allowance win at HOU. Since then, the trainer has done a lot of works on the dirt, and they’ve been good. Kings Justice will be ready to run here, but should we be concerned about his turf inconsistency on race day?
6- Superbush (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Last November, Team 7 Illusions watched Superbush impressively rout a field of maiden claimers at a mile and then hoped that the gelding would make his way back to his barn. He would not, because Night Rider Stables noticed him and claimed him right there (winning a shake). It was right to the Gun Runner off that, where he was a steady fourth. Unfortunately, he could not build on that in the SUN Derby, but I think is still an interesting horse to follow over the next couple months.
7- Empire State (First Class Stable, ridden by A Jimenez)- Like Dahmer, Empire State ran poorly here in the Leonatus Stakes two months ago, but at least he did not have to bear the burden of being the post time favorite. First Class Stable has rested him since then, and hopes that this horse, who also ran in the Sanford and Hopeful as a two-year-old can turn it around. For now, this simply looks like a horse with an inconsistency trait that hopefully he can figure out.
8- Coppa Blue (Riggins Racing, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Picked up by the trainer in private sales for $30.000 after having one win over two starts. He struggled on debut for Riggins Racing, but that didn’t keep the trainer from moving him forward from that optional claimer and into the TP Prevue. That was certainly the right call, as he won the race. Now, after struggling in the Swale, Coppa Blue will run a mile for the first time. Like Empire State, he needs to become a more consistent runner.
9- Good Memories (Mb Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- After winning on debut at DED in late December, Mb Stables entered Good Memories in the SUN Derby last month. He was not terrible in that, but did not cash a check, settling for fifth after a late run. As a still very young horse, there is every reason to feel that he still has the potential to improve off of that, and perhaps not being so far back will help him out. Whatever it is, he has the right trainer to maximize his potential.
10- Without Failure (Fractious, ridden by V Del-Cid)- Fractious has given this one the call to represent the barn here in the Rushaway Stakes after a pretty dismal looking performance in the Grade 3 Davis Stakes. But we have been saying that about a few of these horses, being ones that didn’t really move forward when pushed along the KYD trail, and thus landing here. Without Failure was two back when he was third in the Mucho Macho Man, so if the Davis Stakes is a throw out, he’s very appealing.
11- Redeemer (Avenue Z, ridden by F T Alvarado)- There are a bunch of horses in this race who need to get a little redemption from their prior race, but to do so they are going to have to face the Redeemer himself. This is a colt by Sniper that has made five starts thus far, winning two, which have come in overnights in his last three races. The race that was not a win was a run in the $100.000 Allison Derby, where he seemed to be left behind at the start and looked to make a late run. That’s a run that happened in an optional claimer, but can it happen against stronger foes, a handful of which may employ a similar strategy.
12- Lucky Brandy (The Sidley Stud, ridden by P Husbands)- Started his career strongly as a two-year-old, winning three of his first five races, highlighted by the Grade 2 SAR Special. But his best race as a two-year-old was one where he finished second, doing so in the none other than the BC Juvenile. Despite that, he’s been mostly absent on the KYD trail, getting only one start in 2024, in the Grade 3 Lecomte, where he was absent from being a contender. Worked well at AQU coming here, but those works are inconsistent overall. Starting from the outside is nothing new for him: it’ll be the fourth time in five races starting from the double digits.
Prediction: 10-2-9-6
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
