Brown Trainees Headline Riskaverse At Saratoga

Trainer Chad Brown will send out three fillies against an evenly matched field built for Thursday's 12th running of the $120,000 Riskaverse, a one-mile event over the Saratoga Race Course inner turf for sophomore fillies who have not won a stakes at one mile or over. Saratoga Race Course is located in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Riskaverse pays homage to Fox Ridge Farm's multiple Grade 1-winning mare, trained by Patrick Kelly, who became the first horse to score back-to-back triumphs in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl [2004-05]. The talented daughter of prominent turf stallion Dynaformer retired with earnings in excess of $2 million and a significant resume which also included triumphs in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., both in 2002.

Brown captured the Riskaverse with subsequent Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Dayatthespa [2012] and Catch a Bid [2019].

Peter Brant's Rastafara will look to defeat winners for the first time. After two on-the-board efforts, the daughter of Shamardal graduated at third asking against impressive next-out winner Baby Blythe on July 24 going the Riskaverse distance over Saratoga's inner turf.

“She ran really well and finally broke though and got her maiden broken last time,” Brown said. “We've always thought a lot of her. She'll have to step it up again but it seems like the right spot for her.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will seek a fourth Riskaverse conquest when piloting Rastafara from post 7.

Minaun and Amy C will attempt to make amends after finishing a respective fifth and sixth in the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 at the Spa, which was won by the Brown-trained Technical Analysis.

Owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Iris Smith Stable, and Rigney Racing, Minaun was four lengths back in upper stretch racing three-wide, but finished 3 ½ lengths behind the winner last out. A winner of the Group 3 Marble Hill last July at The Curragh, the Irish-bred daughter of Zoffany won her first start for Brown off a nine-month respite going one mile over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park on April 30 ahead of a close second in the Wild Applause on June 26 at Belmont.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. picks up the mount from post 11.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta's Amy C, a British-bred daughter of Charming Thought, won her North American debut on June 25 at Belmont Park before finishing sixth as the second choice in the Grade 3 Lake George.

Jockey Manny Franco will ride from post 9.

Chiefswood Stables' Third Draft makes her stakes debut off a sharp triumph in an allowance optional claiming tilt over the inner turf for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The gray or roan daughter of multiple champion-producing sire Curlin, out of Ontario-bred stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Original Script, defeated a group of winners last out that included graded stakes placed Magisterium and Amalfi Princess. She trailed the eight-horse field down the backstretch and made a sweeping wide move in upper stretch to get her nose on the wire in the final jumps.

After finishing behind subsequent stakes winners Technical Analysis and Munnyfor Ro at maiden level, fifth time was the charm for Third Draft in a 1 1/16-mile maiden event on May 8 over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

“She's been pretty consistent, and I've liked her races,” said McGaughey, who won the 2016 Riskaverse with On Leave. “Her last two have been really good and I'm looking forward to running her in the Riskaverse. She wants to run farther than a mile, so hopefully this can set her up for something later on.”

Jockey Jose Ortiz retains the mount from post 4.

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Hoolie Racing Stable and Madaket Stable's Hit the Woah will try to regain winning form for trainer Christophe Clement. The black type earning daughter of Vancouver was a 1 ¼-length winner of an off-the-turf maiden tilt on November 13 at Aqueduct, where she defeated next-out winners Amalfi Princess and Into Vanishing.

Although winless in two starts on grass, Hit the Woah made good showings both times when third in the Sanibel Island on March 27 at Gulfstream Park and seventh beaten 1 ¾ lengths to stablemate Bye Bye in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 15 at Belmont.

She enters from an off-the-board effort in a main-track allowance at Parx in Bensalem, Penn., on June 30.

“She's in very good form and training forwardly,” Clement said. “Last time, we tried the dirt and that didn't work. At the moment this is the right spot for her.”

Jockey Joel Rosario will ride from post 8.

Trainer Brendan Walsh will send out Keeper of Time for her North American debut. The Bradley Thoroughbreds-owned daughter of Mehmas was a last out 80-1 upset winner of the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial on April 11 at Leopardstown.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will ride Keeper of Time from post 2.

Completing the field are Magisterium [post 1, Dylan Davis], Stand By You [post 3, Javier Castellano], Triple Digit [post 5, Jose Lezcano], Designer Ready [post 6, Junior Alvarado] and Love and Money [post 10, Luis Saez].

The Riskaverse is carded as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race program. First post is 1:05 p.m. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Brown Seeks Fifth Lake George Win

Chad Brown has a strong chance at his fifth GIII Lake George S. win with a quartet of sophomore fillies. Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) looks to bounce back off a sixth in the GIII Wonder Again S. at Belmont June 3. Graduating at second asking at Aqueduct in November, the bay captured an optional claimer at Belmont Apr. 29 prior to the Wonder Again.

Stablemate Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) has never been worse than second in her career. Graduating at second asking in the G3 Marble Hill S. in July of 2020, the bay was privately purchased and sent Stateside to Brown. Winning a six-panel allowance in Elmont Apr. 30, she was second to undefeated Runaway Rumour (Flintshire {GB}) in Belmont's one-mile Wild Applause S. June 26.

Breaking through in her second attempt at Deauville in March, Amy C (GB) (Charming Thought {GB}) was also a private purchase moved to the Brown barn and won her U.S. debut at Belmont June 25.

Completing the Brown contingent is Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}), who exits a fifth in the Wonder Again. Winner of Pimlico's Selima S. last term, she also took the GIII Jimmy Durante S. In November and was second in the Memories of Silver S. at Aqueduct in April.

Rodolphe Brisset also saddles another undefeated runner in Demodog (American Pharoah). Capturing her career bow at Churchill May 15, she won an allowance there June 25.

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Brown Prepares Lemista, Pocket Square For Diana At Saratoga

Trainer Chad Brown breezed a number of horses over the Belmont Park inner turf on Sunday morning, including Lemista and Pocket Square who are both on target for the $500,000 Grade 1 Diana on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The pair of Diana aspirants worked five furlongs in company with Lemista completing her work in bullet time of 1:01.80 outside of Pocket Square, who finished off in 1:01.89.

Owned by Peter Brant, Lemista earned a 100 Beyer in her North American debut in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 8 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., finishing a late-closing second to Harvey's Lil Goil. The 4-year-old daughter of 2008 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass was a Group 2 winner three starts back at the Curragh over yielding going.

Juddmonte Farm's Pocket Square, a Group 3 winner in France, was impressive in her North American debut on April 7 at Keeneland and subsequently was fifth as the lukewarm favorite in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on June 5 at Belmont.

“They both worked well with one another and are going to the Diana,” Brown said. “Lemista has relished the time in between her races. With Pocket Square, I'm drawing a line through the Just a Game. She was lined up so well going into that race and there were things I was hopeful she would be able to overcome, but it didn't quite work out.”

Brown has won the Diana six times, including the past five editions with talented turf distaffers Dacita [2016], Lady Eli [2017], Sistercharlie [2018-19], and Rushing Fall [2020].

On Saturday, Brown sent out Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley's Higher Truth for her stakes debut in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, finishing a close third, beaten a half-length to Santa Barbara.

Brown said the daughter of the late Galileo will target the $700,000 Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 8.

“I thought she ran well. I was proud of her effort,” Brown said. “It looked like she was in for a good chance late in the race and picked up a piece of it at the end. We'll probably move on to the next leg [of the Turf Triple series].”

Higher Truth arrived at the Belmont Oaks off two starts at ten furlongs, breaking her maiden by a half-length over the inner turf on April 22 before defeating winners on June 10.

“She's had three mile and a quarter races in a row, so she's gained a lot of experience and fitness,” Brown said. “I think down the road, she'll be able to run even further.”

Brown said he could have at least two fillies for the Saratoga Oaks as Rocky Sky, previously considered for the Belmont Oaks, opted to wait for the second leg.

Owned by Peter Brant, Rocky Sky is a two-time winner in her native Ireland, capturing the ten-furlong Salsabil last out on April 25.

“We thought she would benefit from more time going into the Saratoga Oaks, so that's where she's headed to,” said Brown.

Brown said recent allowance optional claiming winner Amy C will target the $150,000 Grade 3 Lake George, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies on July 13 at the Spa.

Owned by Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, and Robert V. LaPenta, the 3-year-old daughter of Charming Thought broke her maiden in March at Deauville before shipping to North America.

“It was a nice first time from out of the country for us. It seems like she's ready for a stakes now,” Brown said.

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