Grade 1 Winner Highland Falls Returns to the Races in New York
Grade 1 winner Highland Falls is set to make his five-year-old debut in an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont at the Big A on Friday.
The Brad Cox trainee received automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2024 after winning the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Highland Falls was unable to successfully rate off of the quick tempo in the Classic and finished a disappointing ninth place.
The Godolphin homebred returned to the worktab on April 13 at Churchill Downs and has recorded consistent workouts since.
A son of top sire Curlin, Highland Falls will break from the rail going a mile on the main track. He was installed as the 4/5 ML favorite.
Castle Chaos, a seven-year-old gelding who was last seen finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, also enters the fields for Robert Falcone Jr. Before entering the Met Mile, the son of Palace Malice was entered in a mile and one eighth allowance race until the New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) announced the Grade 1 field was coming up light on entrants.
Other horses in the field include General Banker,a stakes-winning New York bred, and Full Screen, a stakes-winning Ontario bred. Brothers Rudy and Gustavo Rodriguez round out the field, sending out Strapped and Reddington for their respective connections.
Post time for this race is 1:37 ET.
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Mary Rufo is a Saratoga Springs-based contributing writer in horse racing. When not at the races, she is likely watching races on her phone, refreshing the tote board on her wagering app, or scribbling down trip notes.