What Can This Brown Do For You?

by Mike Kane

It's safe to say that one of these years, trainer Chad Brown will not surpass his personal purse earnings record from the previous season. You can't climb forever. At this point, though, he is perfect: 7-for-7. 

Brown, 37, took another step forward in 2014 with purse earnings to $15,383,930 to jump from third to second in the national standings, though he finished well behind perennial champ Todd Pletcher's $22,476,736. According to Equibase, his win rate of 25% and in-the-money finish of 57% were the best in both categories in the top 10. Seven of Brown's 17 graded stakes victories were in Grade 1 races and he extended his reign as the leading turf trainer in the nation to four years. 

While hardly an overnight sensation, Brown has come a long way in a hurry since leaving a job as an assistant in Bobby Frankel's stable at the age of 28 in 2007. He started with 10 horses, five from Ken and Sarah Ramsey and five belonging to Gary and Mary West. Though he won with his second starter, a Ramsey $5,000 claimer taking a steep drop, it took him another five months to secure his second victory. 

Now he is established as one of the elite trainers in the country. Brown, who typically has 135 horses in his care, saw his purse earnings increase 14.8% in 2014. His earnings have jumped over 400% in the last five seasons. 

“Another consecutive year where we have earned more money for the stable and capping that with the three Breeders' Cup victories is terrific,” Brown said. “I certainly couldn't argue with any of the results or be disappointed with anything. We're fortunate for how the year went and hopefully we can build on it moving forward in 2015.” 

Not only has Brown raised the bar again, he is chasing the next goal with a different roster in place. Change is a constant for trainers and Brown's 2014 lineup will not include Grade 1 winners Dayatthespa, who is a finalist for an Eclipse Award as champion turf female; Minorette, Alterite; Real Solution. The stable is led by Breeders' Cup winners Lady Eli, another Eclipse finalist, and Bobby's Kitten; Flower Bowl winner and Eclipse chance Stephanie's Kitten; and Suburban Handicap winner Zivo. Majestic Affair gave his stable its first stakes win of 2015 in the Jan. 2 Fred Capossela S.

“Thankfully it looks strong again,” Brown said. “Of course, you're going to lose horses at year's end to retirement, sales, etc. If you take our top 10 money-winning individual horses, we've lost about half of them. It's a natural progression that horses need to step up and develop and take their spot. Really, the key to running a stable at this level, is developing replacements for your stars. That's how you stay competitive at the top end. We have some good candidates, some very nice 2-year-olds that we ran.” 

In that group of new 3-year-olds–that combined to win 30 juvenile races in 2014–is Leave the Light On, who captured the GII Remsen S. in late November. Brown is targeting the GII Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 21 at Gulfstream Park for Leave the Light On's next start. 

“He clearly is the leader for that division in our barn, having already gone a mile and an eighth on the dirt as a 2-year-old,” Brown said. “We have some other horses that look like they may have that type of potential, but it's very early. They have good breeding and they look good training so far. I'm not going to name them, because the longer I do this, I realize that they really have to go out and do it first before they establish themselves as legitimate contenders for the Kentucky Derby trail, the Triple Crown trail, and the Travers in the summer in Saratoga. 

“So I'm always conscious of not being all in for the Derby and having a long-term plan for the Travers, if these horses need a little extra time to develop. Thankfully, I have a really loyal, patient group of owners that are sending me a lot of good prospects who set no timetable for the Derby versus the Travers or anything else. They would be happy, as I would be, just to have a horse that reaches any of those Grade 1 races for 3-year-olds.” 

That said, Brown acknowledges that he wants to be involved in the major dirt races, like the Kentucky Derby. 
“You've got to have the horses and it's very competitive recruiting those horses,” he said. “I see areas where I need to recruit in and that would be it. I need a chance. I need someone to give me the ball.” 

Though he picked up about two-thirds of his purse money on the turf last year, Brown's dirt stats were solid. He finished ninth overall with $4.77 million and had a 25% win rate and his runners were in the top three 55% of the time. In 2013, multiple stakes winner Last Gunfighter made $865,000 on the dirt. His only Derby runner, Normandy Invasion, was fourth in 2013. 

Still, Brown knows that because of the numbers he has produced, he is being identified as a turf trainer. 

“What I'd like to express to people, who might think that is: Don't punish me because I dominate one area,” he said. “I happen to be the leading turf trainer in the country in money won and people may arguably say that if they have a turf horse it should be with me. I'm not the only person who runs on the turf, but I believe it's fair to say that I've dominated the turf in this country. But that's an area that we excel in. It doesn't mean that we can only excel there, but don't punish me because we do.” 

Brown's mentor, Frankel, taught him how to handle turf horses, but he said that Frankel certainly was not one-dimensional and neither is he. 

“Later on in his career, he showed what he could do when he got the right horses, like Medaglia d'Oro, Sightseek, Ghostzapper, Empire Maker and Flute,” Brown said. “Before I came around, he had horses from Europe, like Tinners Way, that won on dirt here. He did it and he knew how to do it. And I know how to to do it. I just need the horses.” 
Brown spent a couple of weeks away from the track with his family in late December ands is back at work trying to continue the upward trend and top his own stats for an eighth time. Perhaps that journey will include a certain race on the first Saturday in May in Louisville. 

“We've only taken one horse to the Derby so far, but we haven't been in business all that long, when you look at the career of a Thoroughbred trainer in general,” he said. “We had a good chance to win the race. I'm confident that we'll be back with another good chance to win. I hope it's 2015, but if not, it will happen, I am confident. I have too many good employees and too many good owners not to end up with a really good 3-year-old dirt horse come Derby time.”