Trainer Chad Brown, seen here with his trophy for Zagora in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, has five live runners in at Belmont Park. (Photo credit: Breeders' Cup Ltd.)
Trainer Chad Brown does not have a starter in either of the stakes on Sunday at Belmont Park, but looks as if he could still have a big day. The trainer has live runners in half of the 10 races on the card.
Brown has already picked up two winners from five starters over the first two days of the meeting and is coming off another solid Saratoga meeting where for the third summer in a row he finished second in the trainer standings behind Todd Pletcher.
His barn got off to a very slow start at the Spa, winning with just two of his first 23 starters, but closed out the meeting in style, finishing with 23 winners from 98 starters with earnings of $1.9 million. Pletcher finished with 28 winners from 131 starters.
Brown was the top trainer at the 2013 fall meeting with 26 winners from 100 starters.
Brown has five legit starters on Sunday:
Fifth: Smoke Police tracked the early pace while in between foes and finished up with some interest to check in third, beaten just 3/4 of a length for the top spot in his debut. He steps up from running for a $75,000 tag but these do not look any tougher than he met in his debut. The Brown barn is 23% winners with second out maidens.
Sixth: Breach of Duty is a $140,000 Ocala purchase making her debut. She is by Broken Vow out of a Benchmark mare that has dropped two foals to race, no winners to date. She put in a quick gate drill on Aug. 30.
Seventh: Leroy Jr. is an imposing chalk here coming off a tough nose loss last out in his first start at this level, which was off an eight-month layoff. The gelding set the early fractions and was nailed at the wire while 5 1/4 lengths clear of the rest of the field. He broke his maiden over the Big A main track last November by 9 1/2 lengths with the runner up a next out grad. He is by a Grade 1 turf winning sire out of the stakes winner Booly ($131,355) who has dropped four other winners including one stakes winner, top earner Westside Corral ($232,600).
Eighth: Fila Primera is a $250,000 purchase making her debut for Brown who is 22% winners (with a +ROI) with first timers. The trainer won with five of 13 debut runners on turf at the Spa meeting. The filly is by War Front out of a Smart Strike mare, her first foal to race. Decent works and she debuts with Lasix.
Tenth: Detail makes her debut for Brown. This filly was a $130,000 purchase by City Zip out of a stakes placed Formal Dinner mare that has dropped three winners including a pair of turf winners. She has solid looking works, debuts with Lasix and Castellano and looks ready to fire.
Fall Championship Meet Special
Michael Dempsey’s full card reports for the entire fall championship meeting at Belmont Park from Sept. 5 until Oct 26. The package includes “Super Saturday” on Sept. 27 which will feature six graded stakes, including five Grade 1 races, headed by the 96th edition of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 ¼ miles. New York Showcase Day will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18, and will be comprised of eight stakes races restricted to New York-breds, with purses totaling $1.75 million.
