Brown Sends Out Trio in Forbidden Apple at Saratoga

A field of 10 including three saddled by trainer Chad Brown will go in Friday’s $150,000 Forbidden Apple (G3) at Saratoga (© Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com).

Trainer Chad Brown will send out an imposing trio of runners in Friday’s $150,000 Forbidden Apple (G3) at one mile on the inner turf at Saratoga.

Among the three is the 5-2 morning line favorite Value Proposition, who was a smart winner versus $100,000 optional claimers in his last outing on June 6 at Belmont Park. The ridgling is 0 for 4 in stakes company but was beaten just a head and a nose two back in the Elusive Quality.

“He’s had a few breaks in his form, but I feel that he’s really matured mentally,” said Brown. “Early on, he was a bit difficult to get to focus on his job. He now appears to be much more focused and confident in his works and in his last race.”

Sacred Life (3-1) makes his third start in 2021 for Brown. The six-year-old was third in the Makers Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland off a seven-month layoff, then was fourth in the Dinner Party at Pimlico on Preakness Stakes Day.

Brown’s third starter is Delaware (6-1), who was fourth in the Seek Again in his last start. He won the Danger’s Hour at Aqueduct in April.

A live longshot is Corelli (10-1) who was third in the Monmouth (G3) last out for trainer Jonathan Thomas. The gelding won the Henry Clark by a nose two back off a six-month layoff.

“I thought his best race on paper was the mile and a sixteenth race because he had some pace to run into,” said Thomas. “I don’t know that he’s a real mile and three-eighths horse. He may, ideally, be a mile and an eighth horse. He does seem to like to come with a run. so what we’re hoping for is to get a real pace to close into.”

Monmouth (G3) Replay

Coming up on Saturday we have the first Grade 1 race of the meet. A field of eight will go in the $500,000 Diana (G1) including a pair sent out by Brown and Charlie Appleby. Brown has won the last five editions of the race. He saddled the winner Rushing Fall last year.

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Let’s head out to Saratoga for Frida’s featured race of the day:

Saratoga

Saratoga Race 9 The Forbidden Apple G3 (5:39 ET)

#9 Sacred Life 3-1

#2 Corelli 10-1

#3 Value Proposition 5-2

#7 Delaware 6-1

Sacred Life

This guy is one of three in here sent out by the Brown barn. This six-year-old has managed to make just nine starts since landing in the U.S. with Brown back in ’19. His first two starts came here, a nose loss in the restricted Lure and a runner up finish in the Bernard Baruch ‘Cap (G2). He has just two starts this year but one of those was a solid third in the Makers Mark Mile (G1), a tough spot to come back off a six-month layoff. He then made a mild late run to finish fourth in the Dinner Party (G2) at Pimlico where he was caught out very wide. I like the switch to Rosario and he should get an honest pace in front of him.

Corelli

The Thomas trainee looks primed for a top effort in his third start off the bench for the Thomas barn. He came off a six-month break to win the Henry Clark at Pimlico back in April. The runner up Pixilate came back to win the Prince George’s County in his next start and the third-place finisher Dreams of Tomorrow returned to beat Alw-1 and Alw-2 company in his next two starts. Last out in the Monmouth (G3) he was off a beat slow, got no pace to run at and still finished up well in a third-place finish. The winner of that race was Devamani, a G2 winner from the Brown barn. The cut back to a mile here is a question mark, but he is going to get some pace and horses coming from off the pace have fared well on the inner turf here last past couple of summers, particularly in ’19.

Value Proposition

This ridgling may end up the shortest price of the Brown trio. This guy earned a career top speed fig beating $100,000 optional claimers last out at Belmont Park going a mile. He was stretching out from seven furlongs where two back in the Elusive Quality he was beaten a head and a nose off the bench. The winner of that race was Casa Creed who came back to win the Jaipur (G1) in his next start on June 5. This is another lightly raced Brown runner who has had trouble staying healthy, just eight starts in his career. He has one trip over the Spa grass, a win versus Alw-1 optional claimers back in ’19.