Chad Brown | Horse Racing Free Tips

8-Year-Old Almanaar Repeats In Monmouth Stakes Off Lengthy Layoff

Despite being idle for more than 16 months Almanaar reinforced two well-known beliefs in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. One is that age is just a number. The other is that trainer Chad Brown has the rare ability to have a turf horse ready no matter how long it has been between races.

Almanaar made his 8-year-old debut a winning one in capturing the Monmouth Stakes for the second straight year, rallying stoutly from next-to-last after three quarters of a mile to give Brown a 1-2 finish in the $150,000 feature race on the 11-race card.

The gelded son of Dubawi, who rolled home one length ahead of stablemate Serve the King in the nine-furlong turf stakes, had last raced on May 25, 2019, at Monmouth Park when he won the Monmouth Stakes, then a Grade 2. Prior to that race, his only start in 2019, he had been idle for four months.

None of that mattered as the 3-2 favorite in the field of nine 3-year-olds and up used his strong late kick to overpower the field.

Serve the King finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Bal Harbour.

“He has been training well at Belmont the whole time,” said Luis Cabrera, who oversees Brown's string at Monmouth Park. “The guys there really like the way he has been training. So he has been doing well. These type of horses know what to do. They know where the wire is. So you don't worry about the layoff with those types. And he has a lot of class. We know that.

“He ran great. I'm very happy with his performance. I can't say I'm surprised because this horse has been training consistently. He has not missed a work. He was fit and he was ready. Chad always makes sure the horses are 100 percent ready to run.”

Owned by Shadwell Stable, Almanaar won for the eighth time in 21 career starts, a record that includes a victory on the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2017.

Though far back in the field early, jockey Joe Bravo said he knew exactly what he was sitting on and tried to be patient through fractions of :48.82 to the half, 1:12.93 to three quarters and 1:37.31 for the opening mile.

The final time for the nine furlongs over a firm turf course was 1:49.22

It was just two weeks ago that Brown trainees finished 1-2 in the $100,000 Violet Stakes on the grass at Monmouth Park, with She's Got You winning off a 12-week layoff.

“Only Chad Brown does this. He's amazing,” said Bravo. “This is the second time this year that he has done this in a stakes race at Monmouth Park by winning off a long layoff. (This is) an old horse but he's a trouper. He's so strong and powerful that I just wanted to give him some daylight turning for home. Class prevailed.”

Almanaar paid $5.00 to win, boosting his career earnings to $900,349.

After the opening half mile, and even after three quarters had been run, Almanaar had just one horse beat until he made his explosive move coming out of the turn, overhauling Bal Harbour while having more than enough in reserve to hold off Serve the King.

Racing resumes at Monmouth Park with a special eight-race holiday card on Monday, Oct. 12, with the $100,000 Born to Run Stakes for 2-year-olds serving as the feature. First race post is 12:50 p.m.

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Civil Union Earns Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Berth With Hard-Fought Flower Bowl Victory

Joseph Allen's homebred Civil Union, a 5-year-old mare by War Front, surged to the lead in deep stretch under Joel Rosario and held off a fast-finishing My Sister Nat to win Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Victory in the 1 1/4-mile turf fixture for fillies and mares earned Civil Union a fees-paid spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf as part of the Win and You're In Challenge Series. The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 6-7.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, Civil Union was timed in 2:01.28 for the 10 furlongs on firm turf and paid $8.10 for the win. Chad Brown, who's trained five of the last six Flower Bowl winners and six overall, took the next three positions, with My Sister Nat second, Nay Lady Nay third and Cambier Parc fourth in the field of seven.

Civil Union had only My Sister Nat beat in the early going as longshot Lovely Lucky set the pace – under intermittent pressure from Cambier Parc – through fractions of :24.62, :48.93 and 1:14.36 for the first six furlongs.

Rosario moved Civil Union into contending position along the rail heading toward the far turn, with Jose Ortiz opting for the overland route aboard My Sister Nat.

Turning into the stretch, after a mile in 1:38.27, Cambier Parc poked her head in front as Lovely Lucky fought back along the rail. Rosario switched off the rail aboard Civil Union and found a seam to the outside of Cambier Parc, and began their drive for the wire.

Ortiz was forced to go wide into the stretch, making a bold but belated run with My Sister Nat in deep stretch but ran out of ground.

The win was the fifth from eight starts and the first in a Grade 1 race for Civil Union, produced from the Unbridled's Song mare, Photograph, the latter a granddaughter of Andover Way, a G1 winner for Allen who was the dam of successful sire Dynaformer. Andover Way's grandam is Darby Dan Farm foundation mare Golden Trail.

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Prominent Owner Paul Pompa, Jr. Passes Away

Paul Pompa, Jr., who campaigned dual Classic winner Big Brown (Boundary) in partnership, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, according to Jerry McClenin, Pompa’s cousin-in-law and stable manager. He was 62 years of age.

Big Brown was trained by Pat Reynolds to a spectacular debut victory at first asking at Saratoga in 2007 after which IEAH Stables bought into the colt Turned over to Richard Dutrow, Jr., Big Brown won the GI Florida Derby, GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. before being eased when going for the Triple Crown in the GI Belmont S.

Other graded winners campaigned by Pompa included Grade I winners Backseat Rhythm (El Corredor) and Connect (Curlin) as well as other graded winners D’Funnybone (D’wildcat), Night Prowler (Giant’s Causeway) and Tommy Macho (Macho Uno). In 2020, he has been represented by the likes of GIII Peter Pan S. winner Country Grammer (Tonalist), homebred GIII Quick Call S. hero Turned Aside (American Pharoah) and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom). The latter is a daughter of Mary’s Follies (More Than Ready), acquired privately by Pompa in 2009 and who has since bred Japanese Group 3 winner Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah). The bulk of Pompa’s success was with trainer Chad Brown, but others of his graded winners were conditioned by Todd Pletcher and Linda Rice.

This story will be updated

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Oct. 10 Insights

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WELL-BRED TRIO DEBUT AT BELMONT

3rd-BEL, $63K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7fT, 1:26p.m.

Michael Tabor’s THE GIRL HERSELF (American Pharoah) is one of three blue-blooded fillies making their career bow in this test. Out of Grade I winner Circle of Life (Belong to Me), the bay is a half to Grade I-winning sire Circular Quay (Thunder Gulch) and MGSP The Roundhouse (Fusaichi Pegasus). Juddmonte homebred Nubian (Pioneerof the Nile) also looks to open her account here. The bay is a daughter of European champion Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy). This is also the family of GI Breeders’ Cup mile victor Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and MGISWs Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy). Klaravich Stables’ 325,000gns TATOCT purchase Counterparty Risk (Ire) (Australia {GB}) debuts here for Chad Brown. Her second dam is GSW Steel Princess (Ire) (Danehill), who produced GISW Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and GSW Sugar Boy (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}). TJCIS PPs

PLETCHER UNVEILS MILLION-DOLLAR BABY

6th-BEL, $63K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:03 p.m.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and the Coolmore contingent teamed up at Keeneland September to acquire a $1-million son of Got Lucky (A.P. Indy) named OVERTOOK (Curlin) and he debuts here for that Grade I-winning mare’s conditioner Todd Pletcher. The colt hails from the family of Grade I winners Imagining (Giant’s Causeway), Super Saver (Maria’s Mon), Callback (Street Sense), Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat) and Girolamo (A.P. Indy); as well as MGSW & GISP Daydreaming (A.P. Indy).

“He’s a well-made horse. He’s a good moving well-balanced kind of horse so he wasn’t hard to pick out,” Pletcher said. “He’s a colt that we’ve seen improve steadily all summer. Obviously, he’s bred to be a two-turn horse. Hopefully he finishes up well and builds off of this.”

Also making his first start here is Chiefswood Stables homebred Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile). The Jimmy Jerkens trainee boasts a string of speedy worked, capped by a best-of-49 half-mile in :47 1/5 at Belmont Oct. 3. A half-brother to GSW Yorkton (Speightstown), he hails from the family of champion Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom {Fr}). TJCIS PPs

RISING STAR LOOKS TO REPEAT IN LEXINGTON

5th-KEE, $71K, Alw, 3yo/up, 6f, 3:18 p.m.

China Horse Club and WinStar may have another superstar on their hands in ‘TDN Rising Star’ NASHVILLE (Speightstown), who tries winners for the first time here. The $460,000 KEESEP purchase went wire-to-wire in his unveiling in the Saratoga slop, devastating the field by 11 1/2 lengths and earning a gaudy 91 Beyer Speed Figure. He enters off a pair of bullet drills, most recently covering three furlongs in :36 1/5 (1/4) at Keeneland Oct. 5. TJCIS PPs

MCGAUGHEY SADDLES EXPENSIVE TAPIT FIRSTER

7th-BEL, $63K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:40 p.m.

Shug McGaughey sends out first time starter COLLISION COURSE (Tapit) for Courtlandt Farms. The $675,000 KEESEP buy is out of SW & MGSP Blue Violet (Curlin). Juddmonte Farm homebred Connagh’s Quay (Flintshire {GB}) debuts off back-to-back bullet works, most recently breezing a half-mile in :48 4/5 (1/16) over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track Oct. 4. A half to stakes-place Boule (Exchange Rate) and Module (Harlan’s Holiday), the bay is out of an unraced daughter of MGISW Tates Creek (Rahy). This is also the family of MGISW Sightseek (Distant View), European champion Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy) and GI Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). Mossarosa’s River Redemption (Pioneerof the Nile) also makes his initial trip to the post here. Out of SW Cuff (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the bay is from the family of G1SW Nayarra (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and GSW & MG1SPGustav Klimt (Ire (Galileo {Ire}). TJCIS PPs

WELL-RELATED FILLY MAKES CAREER BOW AT KEENELAND

6th-KEE, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 3:51 p.m.

Amerman homebred ZOOLOGY (Animal Kingdom) debuts for Brian Lynch in this test. The dark bay is a half-sister to Grade I-winning turfer Coffee Clique (Medaglia d’Oro), GSW Admission Office (Point of Entry) and MGSP Royal Fury (Langfuhr). Chad Brown saddles another intriguing firster in Red Light Racer (Medaglia d’Oro). The $525,000 KEESEP purchase is out of SW & MGISP Street Girl (Street Hero). TJCIS PPs

HALF TO DONNA VELOCE DEBUTS AT KEENELAND

7th-KEE, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 4:24 p.m.

Bret calhoun unveils a half-sister to Grade III winner and MGISP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo) in PEACE BROKER (War Front). Their second dam is GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Cash Run (Seeking the Gold). Klaravich Stables went to $475,000 at KEESEP for Equal Pay (Quality Road) and she debuts here for Chad Brown. She is out of the unraced mare Street Rumor (Street Sense), who is a half to stakes-placed Valiancy (Tale of the Cat) and Havana Moon (Malibu Moon). TJCIS PPs

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