Digital Age Gives Chad Brown Back-To-Back Turf Classic Triumphs

Rallying from far back under Javier Castellano, Klaravich Stable's Irish-bred Digital Age ran down pace-setting Factor This to win the Grade 1, $1-million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic by three-quarters of a length on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., giving trainer Chad Brown back-to-back victories in the Kentucky Derby day grass fixture for older runners.

Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar won the 2019 renewal.

Factor This, trained by red-hot Brad Cox, held second after controlling the pace through fractions of :23.24, :47.17 and 1:11.16. Brown's two other runners in the race, Irish-bred Rockemperor and French-bred betting favorite Sacred Life, finished third and fourth, respectively.

Digital Age covered the nine furlongs on firm turf in 1:47.79 and paid $19.20.

Castellano took ahold of Digital Age shortly after the start, allowing the 4-year-old colt by Invincible Spirit to race near the back of the pack while saving ground. Factor This was engaged by True Valour and Spectacular Gem in the run down the backstretch, but shook free from those two under Shaun Bridgmohan and set sail for home.

Castellano gained ground moving into the final turn, swung Digital Age toward the outside turning into the stretch and ran down Factor This in the final sixteenth.

The win was the fifth in 11 career starts for Digital Age but first in a G1 stakes. His only previous graded stakes win came over the same grass course in the G2 American Turf on the 2019 Kentucky Derby day program.

Out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare, Willow View, Digital Age was bred in Ireland by Merry Fox Stud Limited.

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Digital Age Causes Upset in Turf Classic

The least-fancied of three Chad Brown entries for Saturday’s GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. at 8-1, DIGITAL AGE (IRE) (c, 4, Invincible Spirit {Ire}–Willow View, by Lemon Drop Kid) settled last but one, was produced wide into the lane by Javier Castellano and rocketed home to best pacesetting Factor This (The Factor) by a little more than a length. Favored Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) rounded out a Brown-trained 1-3, while Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) finished fourth. Dropped out to near the tail as Factor This went along at a good clip, Digital Age was patiently handled by Castellano until he got after him in earnest about three furlongs out. Taken out wide off the home corner, he got through a relatively narrow opening between Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) to his inner and Sacred Life on the outer and kicked home to score nicely. A 325,000gns purchase out of the 2017 Tattersalls October Sale, Digital Age becomes the 20th top-level winner for Invincible Spirit and second in this country, joining 2009 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile upsetter Vale of York (Ire). O-Klaravich Stable; B-Merry Fox Stud Limited; T-Chad C Brown.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
OLD FORESTER BOURBON TURF CLASSIC S.-GI, $1,000,000, Churchill Downs, 9-5, 4yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.79, fm.
1–DIGITAL AGE (IRE), 119, c, 4, by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
                1st Dam: Willow View, by Lemon Drop Kid
                2nd Dam: Time Control (GB), by Sadler’s Wells
                3rd Dam: Time Away (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
   1ST GRADE I WIN. (325,000gns Ylg ’17 TATOCT). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc.; B-Merry Fox Stud Limited (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Javier Castellano. $589,000. Lifetime Record: 11-5-2-0,
$1,234,660. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Factor This, 124, h, 5, The Factor–Capricious Miss (GB), by
Singspiel (Ire). ($2,700 Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $11,000 2yo ’17
OBSAPR). O-Gaining Ground Racing LLC; B-Maccabee Farm
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $190,000.
3–Rockemperor (Ire), 119, c, 4, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
Motivation (Fr), by Muhtathir (GB). (€50,000 Ylg ’17 ARAUG;
€12,000 2yo ’18 ARQMAY). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Dubb,
Michael, Wonder Stables, Kisber, Michael E. and Bethlehem
Stables LLC; B-Haras du Mezeray (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown.
$95,000.
Margins: 3/4, 2 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 8.60, 5.50, 4.70.
Also Ran: Sacred Life (Fr), Dontblamerocket, Spectacular Gem, True Valour (Ire), Mr Dumas, Somelikeithotbrown, Bowies Hero. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

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Brown Packs Triple-Punch in Churchill’s Turf Classic

A fixture in the highest level grass events on racing’s biggest days, Chad Brown offers a three-pronged attack in Saturday’s GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. Listed at 7-2 on the morningline is Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a close-up second in Santa Anita’s GII Charles Whittingham S. May 23, but subsequently demoted to third, followed by another runner-up finish in Belmont’s GI Manhattan S. July 4. Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) has proven consistent if not sparkling since his arrival in the U.S. last season. Second in the Lure S. and GII Bernard Baruch H. at Saratoga last summer, the French bred recorded his first American win in a Keeneland allowance last October before rounding out the year with a narrow second to Next Shares (Archarcharch) in Del Mar’s GII Seabiscuit H. in November. Fourth in his seasonal return in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 25, he returned from a six-month respite to win Monmouth’s Aug. 9 Oceanport S. Paco Lopez, who was aboard for his latest win, gets the return call. Brown also saddles last year’s GII American Turf S. scorer Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). In his most recent start, the 4-year-old was a 1 1/2-length winner in a Saratoga optional claimer July 18.

Known for his serious turn of foot is Gaining Ground Racing’s Factor This (The Factor), who holds a four-race winning skein heading into this. Third in his seasonal bow in the Colonel E.R. Bradley S. at the Fair Grounds Jan. 18, the 5-year-old won his next two at that venue-the Feb. 15 GIII Fair Grounds S. and GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. Mar. 21-before making it three straight with a neck score over English Bee (Enlish Channel) in Churchill’s GII Wise Dan S. June 20. The well-supported favorite for the 10-furlong Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup S. Aug. 2, he prompted the early pace and proved best late to score by a 1/2 length.

Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) won last summer’s nine-furlong GII Eddie Read S. and the GI Shadwell Turf Mile S. at Keeneland later that October before finishing fifth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Given plenty of R&R after that effort, he returned with a second on the June 21 GIII American S. before having to settle for fourth in his title defense in the July 26 Eddie Read.

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