By Mike Kane
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–A good 15 minutes after Briland (McKinzie) won the first race Sunday by a neck at Saratoga Race Course, Devon Bradley was unexpectedly pulled into the interview in the winner's enclosure.
Well-respected bloodstock agent and architect of partnerships, Peter Bradley had just noted that his daughter was the driving force behind the purchase of the filly out of the Speightstown mare Bay Harbor at OBS April. When Peter said–“This was her favorite horse in the sale, so what was I to say?”–Devon was summoned from another conversation to speak for herself.
The filly trained by Chad Brown for Gainesway Stable, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Cambron Equine and Alan Northcutt, was purchased for $675,000 and was impressive in her debut on the track. She pressed pacesetter Rational Theory (Practical Joke) early, surged to the lead in the stretch and withstood the heavy pressure of Claire's Charm (Violence) approaching the wire. Under Tyler Gaffalione, she covered the six furlongs on the muddy track in 1:11.04 and paid $7.10 as the 5-2 second choice in the $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies.
Devon Bradley, 32, began her career in finance, returned to her family's equine roots during a stint on the staff of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, and has been a member of the Bradley Thoroughbreds team for a half-dozen years.
“We looked at this horse probably 10 different times and it didn't matter when we looked at her, she was as classy a filly we could find,” she said. “I sit on the backside and watch horses gallop out for days on end, and sometimes you just see one and you know, that's the horse.”
Devon looked at her father, who nodded for her to continue, and described how the purchase of the filly by Gainesway's first-crop sire came to be.
“We don't buy horses that cost this much money,” she said. “She sold on the last day of the April sale. We were home, I walked in the office and he said, 'What do we have to pay for her?' Because we do that together. I'm usually the conservative one. I come by that honestly with the sire.”
The Bradleys chuckled over the sire reference as Devon explained that “conservative” was preferred over “cheap” that she had used to describe herself.
“And he said, 'What do we want to pay for her? I said, 'I don't care, buy the horse,'” she said. “Then I left, because I get weak. I get weak before he gets weak when we're buying horses.”
Peter followed instructions, made the purchase of the bay bred by Fred Hertrich III, John D. Fielding and Robert Tribbet and formed the partnership.
“Team effort,” Devon said. “And I'm so excited for Gainesway. McKinzie (Street Sense) is, I think, the real deal of a sire. I think she is showing that, and I'm so happy for them that she's in their silks. It's like, this is just how you write it up, and it doesn't work like that ever.”
Brown said he was not surprised that Briland turned in a strong performance
“This is a horse that really trained well to the 2-year-old sale, and she hasn't missed a beat since she was shipped to us,” Brown said.
Brown noted that the favorite, Claire's Charm, impressed him by getting second after a tough trip but said that Briland showed grit to secure the victory. He said he likes what he's seen of the McKinzie babies he has.
“This is the second McKinzie on the dirt that I've had that's won,” he said. “I had another one run a really good third. It's a promising young sire that's getting good dirt runners and they all act like they want to run longer. This horse has a good future. She's not very big, but the way she trains, she will stretch out. She's got a good way about her. I'm excited about her future.”
The Bradleys, buyers and co-owners, were upbeat too, pleased with their purchase that was heavily influenced by Devon's assessment.
“She was pretty obvious,” Peter said. “You work :10 flat. You do it the right way. You gallop out well. She's got the physique that she has.”
Devon followed, almost completing the sentence.
“She's got a huge pedigree too. When they're the whole package, it's just what you do, I guess.”
With a smile, Peter punctuated the thought.
“You want to own them,” he said.
1st-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-18, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.04, my, neck.
BRILAND (f, 2, McKinzie–Bay Harbor, by Speightstown), sent off at 5-2, broke sharply and was on the lead in the initial strides before settling off the pace as Rational Theory (Practical Joke) led the field through fractions of :22.64 and :45.97. The bay filly reeled in the pacesetter at midstretch and held off favored Claire's Charm (Violence) to the wire to win by a neck. The debuting favorite was squeezed back to last at the break, but made rapid progress through the field on the backstretch and closed strongly once in the clear in upper stretch to just miss catching the winner. Complex Gal (Complexity) was third and Rational Theory fourth. Briland is the fifth winner for her freshman sire (by Street Sense). A $200,000 KEESEP yearling, she sold for $675,000 at this year's OBS Spring Sale. She is a half-sister to Miuccia (Mitole), SW, $101,940 and has a weanling half-brother by Maclean's Music. Bay Harbor was purchased by Fred Hertrich while carry Miuccia for $130,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. She was bred to Elite Power this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000.
O-Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck), Bradley Thoroughbreds, Cambron Equine, LLC and Northcutt, Alan; B-Fred W. Hertrich III, John D. Fielding & Robert L. Tribbett (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
BRILAND, the 2YO daughter of @Gainesway stallion McKinzie, breaks her maiden in the opener at Saratoga under @Tyler_Gaff for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/R5o1XxSO4P
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 18, 2024
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