Chad Brown

It'll be hard to separate the eight-horse field lined up in Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S. at Belmont, the track's traditional prep for the June 11 GI Belmont S., as evidenced by four horses landing between 3-1 and 4-1 on the morning line. Given the narrowest of nods at 3-1 is WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm's We the People (Constitution). Making a somewhat belated debut going a mile Feb. 12 at Oaklawn, the $230,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream buy kicked away to an impressive 5 3/4-length romp, and was similarly dominant...

French Group 1 winner Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), who beat elders to capture the prestigious G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines last fall, will look to give trainer Chad Brown his fourth GIII Beaugay S. in the last five years and record fifth overall as a strong favorite in Saturday's renewal of the 1 1/16-mile turf test at Belmont. Victress of the G3 Prix de Reservoirs in her 2-year-old finale at Deauville in October of 2020, the chestnut finished off the board in her first three sophomore starts before a trio...

After Jack Christopher (Munnings) romped in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park last year, his connections were optimistic that the horse had the talent to get them to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. That happened, just not the way anyone had planned. Not ready for the GI Kentucky Derby after seven-month layoff, Jack Christopher ran instead in the GII Pat Day Mile S., which he won by 3 3/4 lengths. While the victory was somewhat of a consolation prize, it set the...

It was a hectic week in the Thoroughbred business with all eyes firmly focussed on Louisville, Kentucky. Here are some facts and figures that you might have missed in the rush. Record Numbers... Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby (single race) totaled $179 million, up 15% over 2021 and up 8% from the previous record of $166.5-million set in 2019. This year's wagering record includes $8.3 million of handle put through the window in Japan. The Smart Strike Factor... As a broodmare sire, Smart Strike has the distinction of...

RED TR-Racing's Rich Strike (Keen Ice) left Churchill Downs around 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday to head back to his main base at trainer Eric Reed's Mercury Equine Center in Lexington as a GI Kentucky Derby winner. "I couldn't sleep last night," Reed said after achieving his first Grade I victory and second graded victory in a career that began in 1985. "At four this morning I was wondering if this was real or if it was a dream. I got home and my kids and their friends were there with...

In the post-race interview, trainer Chad Brown compared Saturday's impressive GII Pat Day Mile winner Jack Christopher (Munnings) to Hall of Famer Ghostzapper (Awesome Again), who Brown worked with while under the tutelage of Bobby Frankel. Like Jack Christopher, Ghostzapper also missed the Triple Crown series and focused on races around one turn during his 3-year-old season before blossoming into a top handicap horse at four, including a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "This horse reminds me a lot of Ghostzapper, I was fortunate to work with that...

Peter Brant's €$1.95-million investment at last year's Arqana December sale to acquire Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) looks like it might be paying off as the even-money favorite in Saturday's GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. showed off an uncommon turn-of-foot to blow away fellow Brant/Chad Brown representative and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian. The victory came almost exactly 24 hours after Brant and Brown celebrated another victory with a fast-finishing female in still-unbeaten GIII Modesty S. heroine Bleecker Street (Quality Road). Brown saddled the exacta in...

Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) makes her first start for Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. Saturday. The 5-year-old mare, who just missed when second in the 2020 G1 French 1000 Guineas and again when third in last year's G1 Prix Rothschild, was purchased by Brant for €1.95 million at last year's Arqana December sale. Brant and Brown will also be represented in the Distaff Turf Mile by In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The 4-year-old was a flashy wire-to-wire...

Bleecker Street took her record to six-for-six with a victory in the GIII Modesty S., the first graded race on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard. The gray caboosed the field through leisurely early splits of :25.18 and :50.31. Ranging up some five wide turning for home, she charged through in between Fluffy Socks and Hendy Woods in the lane and burst clear to score. Her stablemate Fluffy Socks secured second over Hendy Woods. "With both my horses far back with that pace, I was quite worried," said winning trainer Chad...

'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings) returns to action Saturday in the GII Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs. A dazzling debut winner at Saratoga Aug. 18, the flashy chestnut scored another decisive victory in Belmont's GI Champagne S. Oct. 2, earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. He was the early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but was scratched by the vet the day before the race. A stress fracture was discovered in the colt's left shin that required a screw to be inserted and he returned to...

LOUISVILLE, KY - There's very good reason why trainers Steve Asmussen and Chad Brown have been so confident leading up to the first Saturday in May. Both Epicenter (Not This Time) and Zandon (Upstart) are sitting on huge efforts as they continue to power through their morning preparations two days out from the GI Kentucky Derby. Epicenter, getting back in his pre-dawn routine Thursday, trained with extremely good energy with a very strong gallop at 5:45 a.m. With the rising sun attempting to make its way through the clouds, another...

It seems nearly inconceivable that there is a stakes race for 3-year-old fillies that has not been won by trainer Chad Brown, but such is the case with Friday's $500,000 GIII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs. It will be equally surprising if that statistical anomaly is not corrected, as the conditioner is represented by the top three choices on the morning line, though Mother Nature might have something to say about it, with daylong rains predicted. Klaravich Stables' McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was a poignant debut winner at Saratoga last...