Pilgrim Is Brown’s ‘Nation’

Not surprisingly, trainer Chad Brown has a strong hand for today’s GIII Pilgrim S. at Belmont Park, a race which is likely to produce a starter or two for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf a little less than five weeks from today. The superstar conditioner has accounted for the last two winners of the race–Noble Tune (Unbridled’s Song) in 2012 and Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) last year–and both went on to top-three finishes at Santa Anita.

Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence’s Startup Nation (Temple City) will look to continue the fine start for his first-crop sire (by Dynaformer) as the 2-1 favorite on Eric Donovan’s morning line. Sent off at overlaid debut odds of 9-1 in a state-bred maiden going two turns Aug. 7, the $95,000 Fasig-Tipton NY-Bred graduate found himself with as many as 10 lengths to make up mid-race, but rallied deep on the turn and raced away to a two-length defeat of his stablemate Chief Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), who returned to graduate in sensational style here Sept. 14. Sent off the 9-4 second choice behind Strong Coffee (Warrior’s Reward) in the GII With Anticipation S. Aug. 28, Startup Nation was ridden cold by Joel Rosario while detached from the rest of the field, but whipped around his rivals to lead in upper stretch and blasted home a 4 1/2-length winner. Anything close to that effort should see him head to Santa Anita an undefeated threat on Breeders’ Cup Saturday. 

The imposing Strong Coffee ran to the money in his Aug. 2 bow, defeating Face the Music (Stormy Atlantic) by three solid lengths, but couldn’t reproduce the effort as the 2-1 choice in the With Anticipation, finishing well back in fourth. Trainer Graham Motion adds Lasix on the $120,000 OBS March graduate. Face the Music was outrun in his debut, but was able to slow things down on the engine Aug. 23 and got home a neck to the good of Imperia (Medaglia d’Oro). The Phipps runner loses Joel Rosario to the favorite, while Imperia gets Lasix–a 28% move for the Kiaran McLaughlin barn. 

Vision Perfect (Pollard’s Vision) was disqualified from second to third at 28-1 on his Aug. 16 debut at Saratoga, but atoned to graduate by a comfortable neck here Sept. 6 before galloping out strongly.