Richard Rigney's Xigera tracked pacesetter Jag Warrior early on, pounced to the lead at the top of the stretch, and drew away down the stretch to easily win Thursday's 108th running of the $400,000 Falls City (G3), the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixture for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs, by a widening 6 ½ lengths.
The victory was one of three wins on the card for Rigney Racing, which also annexed Race 12, a maiden special weight event, with Legadema ($10.46), and Race 9, an allowance optional claiming event, with Angkor ($9.24). All are trained by Phil Bauer.
Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Xigera ran 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:50.75 while defeating longshots Music Street, who surged late for second, and Jag Warrior, who was another head back in third. Rigney and Bauer teamed to win last year's Fall City with the now-retired Played Hard.
“She's a special type of horse which makes our job easy,” Bauer said. “You hang a bridle on her and she knows what she needs to do. I'm so fortunate to be in the position I am with a great stable and owner. At the time we thought grass was her preferred surface as a 2-year-old, but she's proven us wrong. She has such a quick turn of foot which makes her so dynamic.”
After convincing back-to-back stakes wins in the Seneca Overnight Stakes Sept. 23 at Churchill Downs and last month's Mother Goose (G2) at Belmont at the Big A, Xigera was sent off as the odds-on 1-9 betting favorite Sunday in the field of seven.
Breaking from post six, Xigera settled in the clear in third down the backstretch as Jag Warrior dictated the terms through fractions of :24.03, :49.02, and 1:13.38. With a three-wide move on the final turn, Xigera dragged Leparoux to the front and emerged as the leader with a quarter of a mile to run. The only questions were who would run second, and how far the winning margin would be.
“We've always loved her since she was a 2-year-old,” Leparoux said. “May have made a mistake keeping her in the grass as long as we have, but she's had a great year overall. She's going to be even better next year. I think she's a very exciting horse.”
Xigera paid $2.30 for the win.
Misty Veil, Shezz Koldazice, Skratch Kat, Bellamore and Distinctlypossible completed the order of finish. Hidden Connection was scratched.
With the Falls City win, Xigera improved her overall record to six wins, one second, and one third in 10 starts. Thursday's $240,455 first prize increased her lifetime earnings to $817,056.
The La Troienne (G1), to be run next May at Churchill Downs, could be Xigera's next start after a freshening.
Xigera was bred in Kentucky by Cedar Hill LLC. She is a 3-year-old daughter of Nyquist out of the Black Tie Affair (IRE) mare Argent Affair. Farm Ridge bought her for $190,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Lisa and Tim Turney.
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