Trainer Chad Brown heads into Belmont's Stars and Stripes Racing Festival July 8 with a slew of formidable runners set to take on the day's graded events, which are highlighted by the GI Belmont Derby and GI Belmont Oaks.
The Eclipse-winning conditioner has four Belmont Oaks contenders headlined by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro), who won the GIII Wonder Again S. last time June 8. Wonder Again runner-up Fifty Five (Get Stormy), winner of the GIII Florida Oaks earlier this season, will join her stablemate in the starting gate once again.
Brown will also send out a pair of European invaders who will be making their American debuts in the Belmont Oaks in Uni (More Than Ready) and Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}).
“I've been impressed; [Uni]'s come in and trained well and every week she seems to be improving,” Brown said of Uni, who is already in his barn unlike Sistercharlie, who arrives the week of the race. “The layoff concerns me going a mile-and-a-quarter. It'll come down to pace and trip, so she'll have to overcome that. But what I've seen in the mornings, I've been impressed.”
“TDN Rising Star” Ticonderoga (Tapit) will represent the Brown barn in the Belmont Derby. Winner of the GIII Palm Beach S. earlier this term, the bay was last seen finishing third behind GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf victor Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) in the GIII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont June 3.
“He was unlucky in his last race with the trip he got but he finished well and he's been training very well since,” Brown said.
Also scheduled to run July 8 is MGISW Practical Joke (Into Mischief), who will line up for the GIII Dwyer S. The bay was last seen checking in fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby May 6.
“We're excited to get him back running in the Dwyer,” Brown remarked. “Cutting back to a one-turn mile after a freshening seems like the logical thing to do.”
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