Chad Brown | Horse Racing Free Tips

Thursday’s Insights: Pricey Into Mischief Colt Debuts at Ellis

2nd-ELP, $120K, MSW, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 2:20p.m.
BC Stables's Cowboy Code (Into Mischief) gets a start for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, the grey was a $1-million yearling purchase out of the Taylor Made Sales consignment at Keeneland last September. Out of Not In Jest (Unbridled's Song), the filly is a granddaughter of MGISW Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues). OXO Equine's Balta (Munnings) debuts for trainer Paulo Lobo. Working sharply at The Thoroughbred Center, the half to SW Opus Forty Two is a $685,000 OBSMAR buy (video). Mike Maker saddles fellow firster Mi T Caden (Ghostzapper), a $450,000 OBSMAR purchase following a :10 flat move. TJCIS PPs

2nd-BEL, $100K, OC $62,500, 3yo/up, f, 7f, 3:36p.m.
Peter Brant's Good Sam (Good Samaritan) makes her seasonal debut for trainer Chad Brown at Belmont Thursday. A $310,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the was the highest priced produce by the sire sold in 2021, when the WinStar stallion's yearling average was $36,190 with a median of $25,000 for 63 sold. A debut winner over flashy next out winner Seduction (Bernardini) sprinting in the slop at the Big A last October, the granddaughter of GISW Twist Afleet remained perfect with another confident score in Aqueduct's one-mile Tempted S. Nov. 6. TJCIS PPs

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Upstart’s Prerequisite Wires the Wonder Again

First Row Partners and Team Hanley's Prerequisite went wire-to-wire to take the rescheduled GII Wonder Again S. in just her third career start at Belmont Park Sunday. Sent off at 7-1, the bay filly rushed up to take the lead into the first turn and she was tracked by Spansive (Karakontie {Jpn}) through fractions of :23.67 and :47.94 in a strung-out field down the backstretch. She scampered away into the lane and was clear in upper stretch, but was all out to hold off the late-closing Be Your Best.

“I hustled her out of the gate to get a good position and I found myself on the lead,” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “She was traveling well from there. She got really brave. Every time a horse came to her, she would dig in. It's a good sign that more distance will be fine.”

Fifth behind Spansive going one mile on debut over the Gulfstream lawn Apr. 1, Prerequisite graduated over the Wonder Again's course and nine-furlong distance May 7.

“I was really impressed with her maiden win here,” said winning trainer Chad Brown. “She's turning into a really nice filly and I appreciate the partners' patience. She wasn't able to make it there at two, and they did the right thing by letting us take our time with her and she's turned into quite a nice horse.”

The top three finishers of the Wonder Again received an automatic invitation to the July 8 GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational. The 1 1/4-mile turf test is the opening leg in the Fasig-Tipton Fillies Turf Triple, a series which also includes the Aug. 4 GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational at Saratoga and the 11-furlong GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational to be held during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

Pedigree Notes:

Prerequisite is the fourth graded winner for Upstart.

The unraced Etsu, a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner Homeland Security, has a 2-year-old colt by Summer Front who sold for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. The mare produced a colt by Complexity last year and a colt by Upstart this year. Etsu's dam, Forever Beautiful is a half-sister to champion Farda Amiga (Broad Brush). She produced a colt by Runhappy last year and a filly by Street Boss this year.

Sunday, Belmont Park
WONDER AGAIN S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont, 6-11, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.20, fm.
1–PREREQUISITE, 118, f, 3, by Upstart
       1st Dam: Etsu, by Smart Strike
       2nd Dam: Forever Beautiful, by Giant's Causeway
       3rd Dam: Fly North, by Pleasant Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($47,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-First Row Partners
and Team Hanley; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $163,000.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Be Your Best (Ire), 122, f, 3, Muhaarar (GB)–Kamakura, by
Medaglia d'Oro. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael J. Ryan;
B-St. Croix Bloodstock (Ire); T-Horacio De Paz. $40,000.
3–Revalita (Fr), 118, f, 3, Recoletos (Fr)–Ebareva (Ire), by
Machiavellian. (€12,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Wise Racing LLC;
B-Sarl Darpat France (Fr); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.00, 13.80, 1.40.
Also Ran: Spansive, Allamericanbeauty, Thirty Thou Kelvin, Venencia (Fr). Scratched: Juniper's Moon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Magnifica! In Italian Wires Just a Game

ELMONT, NY — Peter Brant's 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) took her customary spot on the front end and never looked back en route to a dominating 3 3/4-length wire-to-wire tally as the 1-5 favorite in Friday's GI Just a Game S. at Belmont Park. Last year's GI Del Mar Oaks heroine and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) was second; Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}) was third.

In Italian left the gate from her rail draw running beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and led through an opening quarter in a hard-to-believe :24.47 while kept well off the inside. Under a snug hold heading into the far turn, the chestnut was still going easy as the five-horse field bunched up approaching the top of the stretch. In Italian switched over to her right lead right on cue after a couple of taps on her right shoulder from Ortiz and she put on a show from there to collect her fourth career Grade I victory in style.

Third in this race last year behind her former stablemate and the commonly owned champion Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), In Italian concluded her 2022 season with wins in the GI Diana S. at Saratoga, the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland and a game second-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in Lexington. In Italian kicked off her 5-year-old campaign with a front-running victory in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 15.

“She got a nice, easy quarter and then she was off the rail and in control,” winning trainer Chad Brown said after saddling his sixth Just a Game winner in seven years. “I think that was the end of it there.”

Brant added, “She's probably as good as anyone we've ever had, and that's saying something.”

Brown and Brant both added that a title defense in the July 15 Diana could be next.

Pedigree Notes:

In Italian is one of 166 graded/group winners worldwide for leading sire Dubawi. In Italian's group-winning dam Florentina has an unraced 4-year-old gelding named Spanish Empire (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in Great Britain and an unraced filly named Fiorenza (Aus) by that same sire foaled in 2020. Spanish Empire was purchased by Tom Magnier for A$1.8m at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale in 2021. Fiorenza brought A$650,000 at the 2020 Inglis Chairman's Sale. The 15-year-old mare Florentina, a half-sister to Australian Group 1 winner Gathering (Aus) (Tale of the Cat), was barren to Pierro (Aus) in 2021 and 2022.

Friday, Belmont Park
JUST A GAME S.-GI, $485,000, Belmont, 6-9, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:34.00, fm.
1–IN ITALIAN (GB), 124, m, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Florentina (Aus) (GSW-Aus, $250,958),
                                by Redoute's Choice (Aus)
                2nd Dam: Celebria (Aus), by Peintre Celebre
                3rd Dam: Twyla (Aus), by Danehill
'TDN Rising Star'. (475,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 11-7-3-1, $1,910,308.
Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Spendarella, 124, f, 4, by Karakontie (Jpn)
1st Dam: Spanish Bunny, by Unusual Heat
2nd Dam: Spanish Beam, by El Gran Senor
3rd Dam: Solar Beam, by Majestic Light
($220,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd.
(NY); T-H. Graham Motion. $100,000.
3–Wakanaka (Ire), 122, m, 5, by Power (GB)
1st Dam: Storyline (Ire), by Kodiac (GB)
2nd Dam: Petite Histoire (Ire), by Desert Story (Ire)
3rd Dam: Danccini (Ire), by Dancing Dissident
(£3,500 Ylg '19 GOFFPR; $975,000 RNA 4yo '22 KEENOV).
O-Team Valor International and Gary Barber; B-Mrs Jean
Brennan (Ire); T-William I. Mott. $60,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1, NK. Odds: 0.20, 4.20, 12.70.
Also Ran: New Year's Eve, Speak of the Devil (Fr).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Pair of Stakes Kick Off Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Thursday

ELMONT, NY – A pair of stakes races, led by the featured GII Wonder Again S. for 3-year-old fillies on grass, will raise the curtain on the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Thursday afternoon.

Repole Stable's Spansive (Karakontie {Jpn}) will put her perfect two-for-two record on the line for Todd Pletcher while making her stakes debut in the eight-deep Wonder Again.

Trainer Chad Brown will have three chances for his fifth Wonder Again win. He will saddle 5-2 morning-line favorite Revalita (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}), a rallying second in the GII Edgewood S. at Churchill May 5; the rail-drawn co-second choice Venencia (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}), third as the favorite while making her U.S. bow in a Keeneland allowance Apr. 27; and last out Belmont maiden winner Prerequisite (Upstart).

Last term's GI Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke), meanwhile, will launch her sophomore campaign a race earlier versus six rivals in the six-furlong $150,000 Jersey Girl S. The dark bay failed to fire while making her first attempt around two turns in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Nov. 4. Like the aforementioned Spansive, Chocolate Gelato is owned and trained by the same connections as GI Belmont S. morning-line favorite Forte (Violence). This race's namesake Jersey Girl provided Pletcher with his first Grade I victory as a trainer in the 1998 Acorn.

Drawn on the rail and sporting an imposing record of four wins from five career starts, Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) is the horse to beat after hanging on by a head in the seven-furlong GII Eight Belles on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard.

Thursday's 10-race program gets underway at 3:05 p.m. ET.

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