By Alan Carasso
Despite being taken out of his best game to sit on the pace in 2019, Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway) gave Chad Brown a second victory in the GII Mervin Muniz Memorial S. and the four-time Eclipse Award winner has two chances to go back-to-back in the race named in honor of the beloved former Fair Grounds racing secretary.
OXO Equine's Instilled Regard (Arch) makes his third trip to the Big Easy, having won the 2018 GIII Lecomte S. ahead of a fourth in the GII Risen Star S. while under the care of Jerry Hollendorfer. Since switching to the Brown barn, five of his seven starts have come on the grass, including a perfect-trip score in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream last December. The handsome dark bay was also third in the GI Hollywood Derby in 2018 and rounded out the triple last time out in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 25. Lasix goes back on for this effort.
The second of the two Brown entries is Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who went close in the G3 Prix La Force at ParisLongchamp last April and came with a flying finish from last to be third to Henley's Joy (Kitten's Joy) in last year's GI Belmont Derby Invitational. He raced evenly when sixth to loose-on-the-lead A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun) in the Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Aug. 4 and gets the services of Joel Rosario here.
Pin Oak's Synchrony (Tapit) has remained in training for a 7-year-old campaign and was third to Bricks and Mortar in defense of his 2018 title last year. Also victorious in Woodbine's GII King Edward S. last June, the homebred son of Brownie Points (Forest Wildcat) was likely in need of the run when he chased home pacesetting Factor This (The Factor) in the Feb. 15 GIII Fair Grounds S.
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