In the seasonal debut for a pair of grade 2 winners, both Rushie and By My Standards delivered top performances off the bench—but the latter prevailed by a nose in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes April 10 at Oaklawn Park.
Making the first start of his 4-year-old season, Rushie opened a clear advantage in the short stretch (for mile races, Oaklawn uses the sixteenth pole as the finish). Rushie, who won last year's Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG & E and KU (G2), was sent off the 9-5 favorite under Joel Rosario.
By My Standards, kept in a wide stalking position throughout by jockey Gabriel Saez, was floated six or seven wide at the top of the stretch. But once straightened, the four-time grade 2 winner closed with a flourish to nail Rushie on the line. In his 5-year-old debut, Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards surpassed $2 million in career earnings.
Wells Bayou, winner of the 2020 TwinSpires Louisiana Derby (G2), rallied for third. By My Standards took that race in 2019.
After a pair of off-the-board finishes in top races to end 2020—the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare (both G1), By My Standards, by Goldencents , returned to the form that saw him finish first or second in six straight races before those efforts. Trainer Bred Calhoun had to wait a few extra minutes to celebrate the most recent win as the photo told the story Saturday.
"Watching it live, I thought he did (win). But when I started watching the replay, I thought he might have gotten beat on the bob," Calhoun said. "He was really ready. He really was well prepared, but I was more concerned about the short stretch mile, honestly. He's just a really good horse and he keeps overcoming."
While By My Standards was floated wide in the far turn, Calhoun thought Saez did a nice job.
"Honestly, I thought he might get shuffled back a little farther than he did. I thought Gabe (Saez) did a great job getting him in a very good position early without having to use too much horse," Calhoun said. "It kind of played out like we thought. There was quite a bit of speed in there. Some of the horses on the outside had speed and they had to make some quick decisions. Gabe just rode a great race. Fortunate enough to get him in a good spot early. It took every bit of that stretch to get there. It was a great race."
Bred in Kentucky by Don Ladd out of the black-type winning Muqtarib mare A Jealous Woman, By My Standards was a $150,000 purchase by J. Stevens Bloodstock from Scanlon Training & Sales' consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in 2018. He is the second foal out of A Jealous Woman, who has two winners from two starters. Her last reported foal is a 2-year-old by Runhappy named Redemption Time. She was bred to Hard Spun for 2021.
