Even Without Rushing Fall, Brown Has Ballston Spa Covered

Four-time Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) was expected to be a heavy favorite in Saturday's GII Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga, but trainer Chad Brown decided to scratch the filly after a subpar breeze this week. Such is the life of America's perennial leading trainer that he still looks very tough to beat in the race, starting a trio of contenders in the nine-horse affair.

Leading the charge is the promising Mascha (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Owned by Martin Schwartz, the dark bay annexed the Kronimus Diana-Trial in Germany last June before running second to future barnmate Homerique (Exchange Rate) in the G3 Prix de Psyche and fifth in the G2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville. Laid up for nearly a year, she came back running with a last-to-first success behind a slow pace in a course-and-distance optional claimer July 31.

Peter Brant's Fifty Five (Get Stormy) looks to bounce back from a shocking defeat. Cleaning up with four straight stakes wins, three of them against New York-bred company, dating back to last September, the bay came up a half-length short at 2-5 in the GIII Dr. James Penny Memorial S. last out July 2 at Parx. Rounding out the Brown trio is Stephanie Seymour Brant's Significant Form (Creative Cause). Dominating the Memories of Silver S. last spring at Aqueduct, the gray went winless in her next four starts before scoring in the seven-furlong GIII Intercontinental S. June 6 at Belmont. She stretches back out after running fifth in the 5 1/2-furlong Caress S. here July 21.

Secret Message (Hat Trick {Jpn}) and Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) look most likely to derail the Brown train. The former, victress of the GIII Pucker Up S. last summer and GII Nassau S. and Dahlia S. this term, finished fourth with traffic trouble in the GI Diana S. here July 13, while the latter, a former claimer and three-time graded stakes winner, is coming in off runner-up finishes in the Nassau and GII Dance Smartly S. north of the border.