Month: May 2021

Brown: Crowded Trade Needs ‘To Step Up’ For Preakness Start

Four years after securing his first victory in a Triple Crown race in the Preakness Stakes (G1), trainer Chad Brown is aiming Crowded Trade for Pimlico Race Course's signature event on May 15.

Cloud Computing, a 13-1 long shot co-owned by Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, won the 2017 Preakness by a head over Classic Empire. Klaravich is the sole owner of Crowded Trade, who has been on course for the Preakness since finishing third in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct on April 3.

Brown said Wednesday by phone from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. that Crowded Trade is scheduled to work this weekend, probably on Saturday, weather permitting.

“Assuming he works well, I'm planning on coming to Pimlico and trying the Preakness,” Brown said.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano is booked to ride the colt in the Preakness.

Brown's only other Preakness starter was Good Magic, who ended up fourth in a tight finish of the memorably fog-shrouded 2018 running won by eventual Triple Crown champion Justify.

Crowded Trade is a work in progress for Brown, the four-time Eclipse champion trainer. After breaking his maiden by six furlongs Jan. 28 at Aqueduct, the son of More Than Ready finished second by a nose to Weyburn in the Gotham (G3) before going on to the Wood.

“He's got to step up off his last race and prove he can get the distance,” Brown said. “In both of his last starts, as we have stretched him out, he has come up a little short through the stretch. He makes a good move and he sort of hung a little bit both starts. The distance is definitely a question mark, but he seems like a horse that's improving.”

Although Crowded Trade had enough qualifying points to make it into the field, Brown opted to skip the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby (G1) and wait for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.

“We specifically sat out the Derby to try to give him a little bit more time in between starts and try a slightly shorter distance than the Derby,” Brown said. “As of right now, we're still following that thought process to give it a try.”

The post Brown: Crowded Trade Needs ‘To Step Up’ For Preakness Start appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Japan Gets His Campaign Underway

Ballydoyle missed out with an unusually low-key representation at the Chester May meeting on Wednesday, but one of their big guns is rolled out on Thursday as Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is relaunched in the G3 Ormonde S. Tackling the extended 13-furlong trip which is the furthest he has gone so far in his career, the 2019 G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero looks to put a disappointing end to his 2020 season behind him. Tailing off following his third placing in the G1 Eclipse at Sandown in July, the 5-year-old will have his stamina tested by the impressive G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup winner Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), who races under a five-pound penalty due to those exploits.

Ryan Moore is looking forward to being reunited with Japan. “Ideally, we probably could have done without all the recent rain, but he finished fourth in a deep ground Arc a couple of years ago and is pretty versatile and hopefully his Group 1 class will see him through,” he said. “This is the longest trip he has faced, but the way in which he has finished off his races over a mile and a half when at his best suggests it should not be an issue. It'll take a very good one to beat him if he is on his A-game.”

In the Listed Dee S., Godolphin's Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) bids to build on his comeback effort when third in the Apr. 23 G3 Sandown Classic Trial. “He's sharpened up for that run at Sandown quite noticeably at home,” trainer Charlie Appleby commented. “We're putting the cheekpieces on him, just because he's got similar characteristics to his sister [Wild Illusion]–it's not that he's ungenuine, it's just to keep him focused. We didn't want to put the cheekpieces on and step him up to a mile and a half at the same time, so we opted to keep him to 10 furlongs.”

With eight wins in this, Aidan O'Brien knows what kind of material is required and last year's G2 Royal Lodge S. runner-up and G2 Futurity S. third Ontario (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is the stable pick. Third over seven furlongs on his return in Newmarket's Listed European Free H. Apr. 14, he should appreciate this step up in trip. “He looks to hold pretty strong claims,” Ryan Moore said.  “He finished a good third in what appears a decent Free Handicap on his return, and his pedigree would give you every encouragement that the step up from seven to 10 furlongs or so here will suit this Galileo colt a lot better. He finished second in a Royal Lodge at two, while he also finished third to Mac Swiney in soft ground in the Futurity at The Curragh, so you'd have to be pretty hopeful, though his draw [in stall seven] could have been better, obviously.”

Click here for the group fields.

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Poor Bloodwork Likely Culprit in Supremacy’s Pavilion Run

Group 1 winner Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who ran eighth and last in the G3 Pavilion S. as the 10-11 crowd's pick at Ascot on Apr. 28, returned a poor blood test after the race, trainer Clive Cox announced on Wednesday.

Trainer Clive Cox said, “We have had a less than perfect blood result from him. We're leaving no stone unturned in the hope of rectifying the situation, which was far below expectations. We've had many tests–and without having a complete conclusion yet, we're hoping we can get him back on the right track.”

A first-crop son of Champion First-Season Sire Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), they bay won the G2 Richmond S. last July and added the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. in September in his latest pair of racecourse outings.

Cox added, “He's a horse of such a high standard–undoubtedly we wouldn't have been there if we hadn't been happy with him. Although he's got such a laid-back temperament and way about him, it's a just a relief.

“It's flagged up less than perfect, which wasn't the case before. We've got a bit of time to decide what's next, and hopefully that will become clear over the couple of weeks.”

The post Poor Bloodwork Likely Culprit in Supremacy’s Pavilion Run appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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