Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown enjoyed a tremendous day at the races on Saturday's Runhappy Met Mile Day card by notching four wins, highlighted by a one-two finish in the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan with Instilled Regard and Rockemperor.
Brown leads all trainers at the Belmont spring/summer meet with 22 wins heading into Sunday's card; a tally boosted Saturday by allowances scores with Tribhuvan and Fortin Hill, as well as a visually-appealing maiden score by Publication.
OXO Equine's Instilled Regard, piloted by Belmont's leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., demonstrated a tremendous turn of foot to weave between rivals and collar stablemate Rockemperor in the final jump of the 1 ¼-mile inner turf test. The 5-year-old Arch bay, bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, matched the 102 Beyer Speed Figure from his prior score in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy at Belmont.
“The horse really deserved to win a Grade 1. He ran a great race yesterday,” said Brown. “He had been knocking on the door of winning a big race. I'm really proud of the horse. He's improved a lot.”
Instilled Regard launched his career on dirt for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, finishing third in the 2017 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity and fourth in the 2018 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.
Brown has transformed the talented dark bay into a top-flight turf runner posting solid Grade 1 efforts when third in the 2018 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar and third again in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park to kick off his 2020 campaign.
Brown said Ortiz, Jr, who has earned the last two Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, is instrumental in the success of Instilled Regard as well as other barn stars such as Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile runner-up Network Effect.
“He's a really important part of the team. He keeps improving and he's a super talented rider,” said Brown. “He showed that yesterday with several of his rides on our horses. He got the best out of Network Effect in the Met Mile. With Instilled Regard, after getting shuffled on the turn, he was able to get him to rebreak for him again and find his way through traffic to get there. That was a super, super ride.”
Ortiz, Jr. tops the Belmont rider tables with 34 wins heading into Sunday's card, seven more than his brother, Jose.
Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Bethlehem Stables' Rockemperor earned a career-best 102 Beyer for his Manhattan effort under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.
The 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor colt arrived at the Manhattan off a similar narrow defeat in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham in May at Santa Anita when second by nose to United before being placed third via disqualification.
Brown said Rockemperor, bred in Ireland by Haras du Mezeray, has a top-flight win in his future.
“You'd think so,” said Brown. “He was unlucky to lose yesterday. He probably never saw that horse coming. He ran a super race but he just got nailed on the wire.”
Klaravich Stables' Network Effect saved ground in third position under Ortiz, Jr. in the Runhappy Met Mile. With no room to bid inside of Vekoma as the field straightened away, Ortiz, Jr. tipped Network Effect out and rallied inside of Warrior's Charge before outbattling Code of Honor for second by a neck. The effort marked the third occasion where Network Effect ran second to Vekoma including the last out Grade 1 Runhappy Carter at Belmont and the 2018 Grade 2 Nashua at the Big A.
Brown said the 4-year-old Mark Valeski chestnut is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego, presented by America's Best Racing, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up on August 29 at Saratoga.
“I think the Forego would be on his radar,” said Brown.
Brown sent a number of his stable stars to breeze on the Belmont turf on Sunday including Peter M. Brant's Sistercharlie who worked five furlongs in 1:02.55 in company with Etoile.
Sistercharlie, a 6-year-old Myboycharlie bay, earned Champion Turf Female honors in 2018 after winning 4-of-5 starts, including Grade 1 wins in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, the Diana at Saratoga, the Beverly D. at Arlington Park and the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs.
She won 3-of-4 starts last season while defending her titles in the Diana and Beverly D. and adding the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational to her ledger. She last raced in November at Santa Anita when third in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Etoile, previously trained by Aidan O'Brien for Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith, posted her third breeze for Brown. The Kentucky-bred War Front bay won the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Sprint in May 2019 on debut at Naas in Ireland. She was off-the-board in her next two starts when eighth in the Group 1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park at Newmarket and last out in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita.
Brown said Sistercharlie will make her seasonal debut in the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares slated for July 25 at the Spa.
“She's going to go to the Ballston Spa. She's training very well,” said Brown regarding Sistercharlie.
The Brant-owned Raging Bull breezed four furlongs in 50.33 in tandem with John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock's Without Parole.
Raging Bull, a 5-year-old son of Dark Angel, hit the board in three Grade 1s to close out his 2019 campaign when third in the Manhattan at Belmont, second in the Fourstardave at Saratoga and elevated to third in the Woodbine Mile.
He returned in May with a five-wide rally to capture the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mike at Santa Anita.
Without Parole, still in search of his first win for Brown after three starts, was third in the Shoemaker Mile. The 5-year-old Frankel bay won the Group 1 Qatar Sussex in 2018 at Goodwood for former trainer John Gosden.
Both Raging Bull and Without Parole are headed to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile on July 10.
“It was their final small piece of work just a few days out from their race at Keeneland. I thought it went perfect,” said Brown. “As long they come out of the work good tomorrow they'll fly out to Keeneland.”
They will be joined on the flight by e Five Racing's Rushing Fall, a four-time Grade 1-winner, who will look to defend her title in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland.
Also breezing on the turf Sunday through four furlongs in 49.38 for Brown were Klaravich Stables' Grade 2-winner Digital Age and Shadwell Stable's Mutakatif, a last-out allowance winner at Gulfstream Park in February.
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