Hush of a Storm lands second stakes victory in Friday’s Ashley T. Cole at Aqueduct. NYRA Photo.
Hush of a Storm stayed in the clear and to the outside of a six-way scramble at the eighth pole on the way to his second career stakes score in Friday’s $125,000 Ashley T. Cole for older New York-breds on the grass at Aqueduct.
Making his second start off the claim for owner Sandy Goldfarb and trainer Brad Cox, the 6-year-old Creative Cause gelding won the 9-furlong Cole by a half-length over Dakota Gold. Flavien Prat rode Hush of a Storm, claimed for $45,000 out of a similar overland victory in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance-optional July 21 at Saratoga Race Course.
Hush of a Storm, sent off as the 3-1 third choice Friday, finished third in his first start off the claim in the $79,000 Avery Whishman Memorial Stakes on synthetic at Presque Isle Downs August 12. Hush of a Storm registered his only other stakes win prior to Friday – the 2021 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park – on a synthetic track when trained by Bill Morey.
The gelding ability on turf and synthetic made him an appealing claim, Goldfarb said.
“We were looking for a good one to claim,” he said. “I thought he could run here or take him to Turfway if we had to. I thought he was worth the money at that level. The day we claimed him, he won like, ‘wow.’ Since we’ve had him, they’ve done nothing but rave about him.
“He ran at Presque Isle the other day and the horse that beat him (Forever Souper) came back and won (Presque Isle Mile), so we knew he was good in here and the mile and an eighth might make the difference. So far, just about everything I’ve got with Brad has done unbelievable.”
Prat kept Hush of a Storm toward the back of the seven-horse field early as Saratoga Flash clicked off early splits of :23.61 and :50.26 ahead of 60-1 longshot Cable Ready, 7-2 fourth choice Jerry the Nipper and 2-1 favorite City Man.
Saratoga Flash continued to lead heading in the far turn, past 6 furlongs in 1:15.82 and spurted clear in the lane as Dakota Gold, Jerry the Nipper, City Man and Hush of a Storm tried to mount late rallies. Hush of a Storm, widest of all in the stretch, took over just outside the sixteenth pole and edged Dakota Gold and Jerry the Nipper in deep stretch. Dakota Gold finished a head in front of Jerry the Nipper, with City Man fourth. Hush of a Storm won in 1:51.03 over the firm turf.
Flavien Prat kept Hush of a Storm comfortable early and the Creative Cause gelding did the rest late in the Ashley T. Cole. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
“I was going to try to get myself into a good position, but it felt like the first quarter was quite fast,” Prat said of Hush of a Storm’s early position. “But then on the backside, they really hit the brakes, so I was a bit worried, but no, I turned for home, I tipped him out and he laid it down for me.”
Hush of a Storm improved to 3-for-6 on turf and 9-for-28 overall with the Ashley T. Cole victory. He picked up $68.750 to boost his bankroll to $421,708.
Bred by and foaled at Dr. Doug Koch’s Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, Hush of a Storm is the first foal out of the winning Flatter mare Hush Now. Consigned by Winter Quarter Farm, agent for Berkshire Stud, he originally sold for $60,000 to Northway Bloodstock at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale. Consigned by Nick de Meric’s de Meric Sales, agent, at the 2020 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, Hush of a Storm sold to Joseph P. Morey Trust for $75,000.
Hush Now, who is out of the unraced Quiet American mare Silence Please, won and earned $68,784 for owner and breeder Berkshire Stud before retiring prior to the 2017 season. Hush Now is a full sister to multiple stakes winner and $358,487-earner Brigand and a half sister to stakes winner and $137,651-earner Sky Music.
Hush Now’s second foal, the 5-year-old Runhappy mare Voleuse remains in training and has compiled a record of 4-3-7 in 19 starts with earnings of $233,625. She’s also the dam of the winning 4-year-old Mastery gelding Camm’ Duke and the unraced 2-year-old Munnings filly Hush Munnings.
Hush Now sold carrying Camm’ Duke in utero for $130,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She did not produce a foal in 2023 but delivered a Maclean’s Music filly – bred by GMP Stables LLC, Dutchess Views Farm and Angie V Stables LLC – March 24 in New York.
