Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Bonny South gets a break from Letruska in Falls City
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Most everyone associates Thanksgiving with turkey. Brad Cox links it with Churchill Downs, if only because he scarcely can remember a Thanksgiving Day when he didn’t attend the races at his hometown track.
“Been going on Thanksgiving since I was a kid,” said Cox, now 41.
Two years ago, the turkey and fixin’s somehow tasted better when Cox got home from Churchill after winning the the Grade 2 Falls City, the traditional Thanksgiving feature, with Mylady Curlin. He sure wouldn’t mind doing the same thing Thursday after he sends out morning-line favorite Bonny South against six other fillies and mares in the 106th running of the $500,000 Falls City.
“We’ve run up against Letruska the last two races, and everybody knows how dominant she was this year,” said Cox, referring to Bonny South finishing second in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign and third in the Grade 1 Spinster behind Letruska, the surefire older female dirt champion of 2021.
“We’ve had the Falls City on our radar ever since the Spinster,” he added. “The filly has been training very well and we’re hoping she ends her year a winner.”
Bonny South, with Florent Geroux riding from post 6 in the 1 1/8-mile Falls City, is a stretch-running type who’ll need some pace to close into. Cheetara (post 2, Julien Leparoux) should provide just that, with Crystal Ball and 2020 Falls City winner Envoutante likely to give closest chase, along with the only 3-year-old in the field in Army Wife.
Crystal Ball will be making the final start of her career with the meet’s leading jockey
Tyler Gaffalione aboard from post 1. A sharp allowance winner here in the spring, the 4-year-old filly was a close second behind Shedaresthedevil, another Cox star, in the Sept. 18 Locust Grove at Churchill prior to fading to fourth in the Oct. 10 Spinster at Keeneland. She has worked twice at Keeneland in the interim, ending with a fivefurlong bullet on Nov. 11.
“Her last work was very good and we have kept her fresh since,” said her trainer, Rudy Brisset. “We know she likes Churchill, so we are hoping to finish on a good note with her.”
Envoutante (post 4, Brian Hernandez Jr.) earned a careerbest 101 Beyer Speed Figure as a six-length winner of the Falls City last year at 3, but she has won just once in six starts this year.
“How she runs this weekend will determine whether she’ll run again next year,” said her trainer, Ken McPeek. “She is doing really well into this.”
Army Wife (post 5, Joel Rosario) is something of a wild card making her first start versus older rivals. Reunited here with the hottest rider on the planet in Rosario, who won the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan with her in May in convincing fashion, the Three Diamonds filly has fared respectably when matched against the very best of her division in recent months, including Malathaat, Clairiere, and Obligatory.
Still, they might all be running for second if Bonny South fires her best shot from the back. The Juddmonte Farms homebred became a Grade 2 winner in March 2020 and has kept high-level company since then, peaking with a 101 Beyer, and she uses her late kick to finish in the money more often than not.
She was the runner-up behind Envoutante as the 4-5 favorite in this race last year.
“Hopefully she lives up to it this time,” said Cox, saying there are no immediate plans to retire Bonny South afterward. “It’d be great to get a Grade 1 with her next year.”
High Regard and Audrey’s Time round out the Falls City lineup.
Early first post for a 12-race Thursday card is 11:30 a.m. Eastern. The Falls City goes as race 11 at 4:22 p.m., with the 12th race set for 4:50. An excellent undercard includes three allowances (races 6, 7, and 10).
Rain is in the local forecast for Thursday, meaning a sloppy track is quite possible. All racing at this 21-day fall meet has been conducted over the main track due to the unavailability of the turf course, which has undergone a complete overhaul.