Rock Fall Leads Rising Star 1-2-3 in Vanderbilt

Rock Fall (yellow cap)  | Chelsea Durand

He doesn't run often, but when he does, he runs fast, and Rock Fall laid claim to the title of nation's best sprinter with a tough-as-nails victory in the Vanderbilt. The progressive short-tracker followed in the hoofprints of his sire, who gave trainer Todd Pletcher his only other Vanderbilt winner 11 summers ago.

Accorded TDN Rising Star status off a 9 1/4-length maiden score in an off-turf test last May, the $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate proved he could transfer that form over to a dry strip with a 3 1/4-length allowance tally the following month, but went missing thereafter. Workmanlike when the one-length winner of his Mar. 15 allowance comebacker at Gulfstream Park, he sizzled home the nine-length winner of a stakes-quality Keeneland allowance–MGSW Delaunay (Smoke Glacken) was third–Apr. 18, and took care of a half-dozen overmatched rivals by a facile 3 3/4 lengths in the June 5 GII True North S.

Off at even-money in search of the six-bagger, Rock Fall settled in the second flight of horses, outside of Salutos Amigos (Salute the Sarge) as Favorite Tale sped to the front, allowing The Big Beast to wait for him to clear and assume a stalking position. Allowed to establish comparatively soft fractions of :22.74 for the opening quarter-mile and :45.31 to the half, Favorite Tale cut the corner and set sail for the wire, but was quickly under siege, as the hulking The Big Beast headed him off at the eighth pole. But Rock Fall, pulled out three deep at the head of the lane, followed suit inside the final sixteenth of a mile and willed his way to the line first, to lead home a Rising Star triple.

“The bob could have gone either way; I was lucky it went my way,” admitted Javier Castellano, remarkably winning the Vanderbilt for the first time. “He was a really nice horse the way he did it today, off the pace. There was a lot of speed in the race and he covered up perfect. Turning for home I let him go outside; that's where he likes it, and it paid off today. My horse fought back to win the race. I give all the credit to him.”

Saturday, Saratoga
ALFRED G. VANDERBILT H.-GI, $350,000, SAR, 8-1, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:08.75, ft.
1–&ROCK FALL, 121, c, 4, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Renda (MSW, $160,593), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Ten Carats, by Capote
3rd Dam: Miss Waikiki, by Miswaki
($250,000 Ylg '12 FTSAUG). O-Stonestreet Stables
LLC; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher;
J-Javier Castellano. $210,000. Lifetime Record:
7-6-0-0, $509,180. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Hip1043-BW
WoodsEdgeGraduate
KBIF-G1_v3
2–The Big Beast, 117, c, 4, Yes It's True–V V S
Flawless, by Deputy Minister. ($32,000 Ylg '12
KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '13 OBSAPR). O-Alex &
JoAnn Lieblong; B-Green Willow Farms (MD);
T-Anthony W Dutrow. $70,000.
Maryland-Bred
SteveLong
3–Favorite Tale, 117, g, 4, Tale of the Cat–Tricky
Elaine, by Grindstone. O-PJG Stable; B-Paul Conaway
(PA); T-Guadalupe Preciado. $35,000.
Margins: NO, 2, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 3.80, 5.60.
Also Ran: Salutos Amigos, Viva Majorca, Clearly Now, Departing.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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