Chad Brown

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--During his Hall of Fame career, trainer Todd Pletcher has won the GIII Sanford at Saratoga a record eight times. He'll look to pad that stat on Saturday when he saddles Mentee (City of Light) in the six-furlong race, which will be run for the 108th time. "For me, it's always about the 2-year-olds," Pletcher said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track when asked what the most exciting part of training is for him. "The 2-year-old program is fantastic here; the state program is great. We...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-With the mighty successful prelim--the GI Belmont Stakes--now part of Saratoga's storied history, it is time to move on to the main event. The 40-day racing season, the 156th since the first meet was staged in 1863, commences Thursday with an 11-race program at Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest sporting venue. The listed six-furlong $175,000 Schuylerville S., a graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies through last year, is the traditional opening-day feature. The first post is at 1:10 p.m. By the time the meet concludes on Labor Day, Sept....

Manny Franco was the leading rider and Chad Brown took the leading trainer title at the 35-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet which concluded Sunday. Franco, 29, topped the table on the heels of a prosperous Aqueduct spring meet where he won the title with 28 wins. He visited the winner's circle 41 times as part of a 210-41-41-25 record with $3,148,141 in earnings at the Belmont meeting. "It's special. I have never won this one before, so it's amazing," said Franco. "I'm so happy to have the...

Domestic Product (Practical Joke), a forgettable 13th after getting pinched at the start in the GI Kentucky Derby, showed no mercy on his three rivals in Saturday's GIII Dwyer Stakes at the Big A. Turning back to a one-turn mile, the 3-5 favorite stalked the early leaders from an outside third. He launched while three deep entering the far turn, hit the front as they straightened for home and blasted off to score by 7 1/2 lengths over Hades (Awesome Slew). The pacesetter Billal (Street Sense) was third. "He was...

Klaravich Stable's Headline Numbers (Gun Runner) became the latest to impress from the family of breeder Happy Alter's Withmom'sapproval (With Approval) with an effortless last-to-first victory at Belmont at Aqueduct Thursday. The 8-5 favorite, settled at the back of the field down the backstretch. She rushed up rapidly while four wide on the far turn and took charge into the lane before skipping effortlessly clear down the lane to score by 11 3/4 lengths and become the latest 'TDN Rising Star.' Headline Numbers, a $325,000 KEESEP yearling, has a 2-year-old...

Approaching the start of the sixth week of the season at Delaware Park, a pair of apprentices--one a five-pound bugboy and the other still with his seven-pound allowance--are riding high atop the jockey standings. Through Saturday's racing, the Delaware win totals by Gabriel Maldonado (25) and Ederik Robles (18) matched the rookies' ages. Maldonado just finished a blast-off week that saw him winning nine races in a four-day span at three different tracks. On Wednesday, the five-pound apprentice tallied with the last of six afternoon mounts at Delaware, then traveled...

A pair of noteworthy names were spotted on the work tab over the weekend at Saratoga, GISW Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) on Sunday and MGISW Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) on Saturday, both cruising over the Oklahoma dirt training track for the first time since their respective efforts during the Belmont at Saratoga festival. From the Chad Brown barn, the 'TDN Rising Star' put in a solo half-mile move with blinkers on in :49.66 (6/30) and galloped out into the backstretch while being encouraged by the exercise rider. When asked, Brown...

Oversubscribed (GB) (f, 3, Too Darn Hot {GB}--Zurigha {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) came flying home to run to the money as the even-money favorite in Saturday's $150,000 Wild Applause Stakes at the Big A. Sixth as Macanga (American Pharoah) and Oversubscribed's Chad Brown-trained stablemate Chantilly Road (Quality Road) sped off through fractions of :23.02 and :46.03, Oversubscribed still had her work cut out for her at the top of the stretch. Macanga led by 5 1/2 lengths at the stretch call, but Oversubscribed was just getting warmed up. Oversubscribed...

Unmatched Wisdom (c, 3, Cairo Prince--Glide On By, by Pure Prize), the recipient of a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in a sharp 6 1/4-length victory over the mud going a one-turn mile at the Big A on debut May 10, backed up that effort with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance Saturday. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for trainer Chad Brown versus four overmatched rivals in a first-level allowance in South Ozone Park, the 1-5 favorite tracked the early leader from second through an opening quarter in :23.72 and a...

Accede (Into Mischief) dug down gamely to post a first stakes victory in Saturday's GII Bed o' Roses S. Off as the 4-1 second choice, the Juddmonte homebred veered out sharply at the start and was quickly corrected by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to lead early. Third, but traveling nicely on the inside on the far turn, Accede split horses with authority in the stretch and fended off the longshot runner-up for a career best. "She broke with good intent and I was happy with her on the lead, but if...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--Favored Idiomatic (Curlin) towered over her competition both in stature and on paper in Saturday's GI Ogden Phipps S. Despite her imposing presence, however, it was Klaravich Stables' Randomized (Nyquist) who stole the show when holding on to a head victory over last year's champion older mare in the 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November. Breaking from the rail, Randomized, sent off at generous 6-1 odds for trainer Chad Brown, scooted to the front several strides in while...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY-Trainer Chad Brown was widely expected to win Friday's GI Just a Game S. However, the actual winner of the race proved to be a bit of question as the trainer was represented by five of seven of the runners in the one-mile turf event. After surviving a jockey's claim of foul, it was 4-1 chance Chili Flag (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) who rose over the $1-million mark in earnings while annexing her first career Grade I-victory. Breaking well but eased to the back, Chili Flag was unhurried as...