Runaway Rumour fends off Spungie to win Friday’s John Hettinger Stakes. NYRA Photo.
Runaway Rumour ended a losing streak last fall during the Belmont at the Big A meeting and found Ozone Park again to her liking Friday, putting a stop to another skid with a victory in the $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares on the turf.
Lawrence Goichman’s homebred 5-year-old Flintshire mare won the Hettinger by a neck over Spungie – surviving a jockey’s objection and steward’s inquiry in the process – for her first win since last year’s Ticonderoga Stakes on Empire Showcase Day. The win ended a five-race losing streak for Runaway Rumour, who did place in four stakes during that stretch from April 16 to Aug. 27.
Runaway Rumour also went through two trainer changes during that stretch, going from Jorge Abreu this spring to Horacio De Paz and then to Linda Rice toward the end of the Saratoga Race Course meeting. Two of the losses came at Saratoga – against open company in the restricted De La Rose Stakes and when third in the Yaddo Stakes on Saratoga Showcase Day.
“She’s just a classy mare,” Rice said. “We’ve had her for around six weeks or so. She’s trained very nicely. The Goichmans breed terrific New York-breds. They have a great breeding program, and she’s had a terrific career up to this point with Jorge Abreu and Horacio De Paz. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
The 6-1 fourth choice in the field of six, Runaway Rumour earned $68,750 for her fifth win in 21 starts and boosted her bankroll to $571,305.
Whatlovelookslike set the pace in the 9-furlong Hettinger, carving out slow early fractions of :25.48 and :52.39 over the firm turf course ahead of Spungie and Runaway Rumour, with Yaddo winner and 8-5 favorite New Ginya, Out of Sight and Saratoga Chrome not far back.
Whatlovelookslike continued to lead past 6 furlongs in 1:17.62 before coming under pressure and losing the lead to Runaway Rumour at the quarter-pole. Runaway Rumour and Jose Lezcano kicked on turning for home and opened up, as Spungie and Joel Rosario inched into contention down inside. Runaway Rumour held the lead inside the sixteenth pole as Spungie ran up her inside, found herself in tight quarters and couldn’t get past in deep stretch.
Runaway Rumour won by a neck in 1:51.79. She added the Hettinger to her 2022 win in the Ticonderoga and her 2021 score in the Wild Applause against open company. Rosario claimed foul and steward’s took a look, but didn’t make a change to the delight of the mare’s owner and breeder.
“The track was perfect, the distance was perfect, the ride was perfect, the inquiry was not so perfect, but it was pretty fun,” Goichman said. “You could see on the backstretch that she was wanting to go. Jose didn’t fight with her, he just said ‘You want to go? Let’s go.’ ”
Goichman said Runaway Rumour would target the Ticonderoga again.
“That will be her last race,” he said. “She’s been fun. It’s always hard to replace a horse that always gives you her best. She’s been a nice girl to be around.”
Foaled at Edition Farm in Hyde Park, Runaway Rumour is out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Rumour. Goichman bred and raced Elusive Rumour, a stakes-placed multiple winner who is out of the Alleged mare Quiet Rumour that he bought in Europe.
Elusive Rumour is the dam of two other stakes winners bred by Goichman – Myhartblongstodady, whom he owns, and Scuttlebuzz, who sold for $160,000 as a 2-year-old in 2019. She’s also the dam of the Grade 2-placed winner Lachaise and the 2-year-old New York-bred Oscar Performance filly She Is All Business who made her debut Sept. 15 at the Belmont at the Big A meet.
