Page 44 - September 2018

Falling In Loveagain wins the 1998 All American Futurity.
Falling In Loveagain Wins The 1998 All American Futurity
The phenomenon of racing luck can be either good or bad. In the case of Falling In Loveagain, winning the 1998 All American Futurity was a case of good luck. However, bad luck followed her through her race career.
Falling In Loveagain was bred by Cindy and Luke Knox. Originally named First Round Knockout, she is by First Down Dash and out of Genuine Knockout by Special Effort. Falling In Loveagain was the highest selling horse in the 1997 Ruidoso Super Select Sale. She was
purchased for $92,000 by David and Susan Mackie and this is where the filly hit a bit of good luck. The Mackie’s had both gone through a divorce and had married because they had found love again. So, they renamed their new filly Falling In Loveagain, the title of a song sung in the movies by Marlene Dietrich, in hopes it would bring them some racing luck.
The Mackie’s were well known racing Appaloosa owners who had found the All American Dream. They purchased their new filly with the help of their advisors: Jack Brooks, Lewis Wartchow and Joe Morgan. So with Jack Brooks as their trainer, they were off in pursuit of their dream.
This is where things turn a little sour and the good luck they had took back seat to bad luck. Falling In Loveagain made her first start in the Remington Park Futurity trials as the favorite. But, she fell on her face and then they ran over her. She came back in the Heritage Place Futurity trials with a win and the fourth fastest qualifying time. Bad luck came back again in the finals where she got in what was described as a wreck and went unplaced.
Brooks took her to Ruidoso and the Rainbow Futurity trials. She stumbled, but still qualified
to the Rainbow Consolation. The day of the consolation, she and several horses were wiped out and she finished seventh. So, going into the All American Futurity trials, she had five starts with
one win and one third and earnings of $37,875. When the All American Futurity trials came about, it looked like bad luck might still be in control. She was in the 18th heat and was to
run against Governor’s Cup Futurity-G1 winner Old Habits on a day that it was
raining, with the wind taking turns blowing from different directions. She was also the last chance for Jack Brooks and her jockey G. R. Carter Jr. to qualify to the finals. Brooks had 19 in the trials that day and she was his last hope.
Good luck came back as she qualified with the ninth fastest time of :21.78 in the trial where Old Habits set the fastest qualifying time of :21.55. The second fastest qualifier was Chicks Affinity in :21.65, then came Hes My Dasher in :21.66 and Special Advice in :21.72.
One of the factors that had manifest some of the filly’s bad luck was her troubles at the start. When the gates opened for the finals, she went against what Speedhorse called her “old habits” breaking just behind Lexan. She still received the first call, however, taking a lead that she never relinquished. She got the win over Old Habits by a neck. Party Girl Affair was third, with Hes My Dasher in fourth and Militante in fifth.
Falling In Loveagain won the race in :21.49, earning $1,077,873. Her All American Futurity win gave Jack Brooks his seventh and G. R. Carter Jr. his first All American Futurity win.
The Mackie’s All American winner made two more starts in 1998, winning her trials for the Texas Classic Futurity-G1 and Los Alamitos Million Futurity-G1, but not qualifying for the finals in either race. She ended 1998 with nine starts, four wins, a second and a third earning $1,121,212.
Falling In Loveagain made 11 starts at three, with four wins and two thirds earning $67,163. The thirds came in the Ruidoso Derby-G1 and All American Derby-G1. She did qualify for three more stakes, including the Rainbow Derby-G1, Dash For Cash Derby-G1 and the Texas Classic Derby-G1.
Falling In Loveagain gave owners David & Susan Mackie their first All American Futurity winner.
It didn’t seem to matter, Falling In Loveagain was always willing to give it her all.
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