peter brant | Horse Racing Free Tips

41 Years After His Waya Was Champion Mare, Brant Wins Race Named In Her Honor With My Sister Nan

Peter Brant's My Sister Nat notched her first North American victory in a graded stakes race named after her owner's 1979 Champion Older Mare when taking the 21st running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya going 1 1/2 miles over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Chad Brown, My Sister Nat was placed in three of her five starts since moving to the United States and arrived at the Waya off a runner-up finish to Mean Mary in the Grade 2 New York on June 27 at Belmont Park.

“It's definitely special,” Brown said of winning the Waya for Brant. “It's a race we've been targeting since he got back in the game. She just went into the Hall of Fame last year, the great Waya. That was really great to win this.”

My Sister Nat broke a touch slow out of the gate under jockey Jose Ortiz, and settled last of the six runners along the rail as stablemate and last year's Waya victor Fools Gold took the field into the first turn through an opening quarter-mile is 25.46 seconds.

As the tightly packed field made their way into the clubhouse turn through a half-mile in 50.72, Fools Gold maintained her one-length advantage while My Sister Nat moved up into fifth and remained on even terms with Olympic Games down the backstretch.

Ortiz angled My Sister Nat out two paths heading into the far turn and gave his mare her cue approaching the quarter-pole as Fools Gold continued to command the pace. My Sister Nat found herself on even terms with favorite Mrs. Sippy who launched her bid to her inside. Just outside the sixteenth-pole, My Sister Nat put a head in front and prevailed by a neck over Mrs. Sippy in a final time of 2:30.26 over a firm turf. Fools Gold finished another 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

Beau Belle, Olympic Games and Quiet Dignity completed the order of finish. Main track only entrant Another Broad was scratched.

“We saved ground in the first two turns and in the third turn I started looking for a place to go,” said Ortiz. “Chad always tells me in three-turn races to save ground in two and in the third do whatever you want. I started working my way out and I'm glad it worked out.”

The win was a fourth Waya victory for Brown, who saddled Goldy Espony (2015), Guapaza (2016) and Fools Gold (2019) to previous triumphs.

“In these types of races, there's not a lot of pace. I thought Jose came to the paddock with a really good plan,” said Brown. “He said he was going to try and stay closer and he was able to find the one during the race to follow which I thought was smart. We didn't change her style, but we stayed with the pack this time and didn't let her fall too far back. Jose deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Returning $6.90 for a $2 win bet, My Sister Nat earned $82,500 in victory while enhancing her lifetime earnings to $341,672.

A Group 3 winner at Longchamp in her native France, My Sister Nat made her first three starts against optional claiming company before running in the Grade 3 Long Island on November 30 at Aqueduct where she was a late-closing second beaten a neck.

“I have to thank Peter for keeping her in training,” Brown said. “She's a half to Sistercharlie and it would have been easy to retire her. We found that last year it took all the way to the end of the year for her to really acclimate. We got her in a three-turn race at the end of the year in the Long Island at Aqueduct and she should have won but she got in a lot of trouble. In only her second three-turn race, we saw what she can do, and we're going to try and keep her in races like this.”

Bred in France by Ecurie de Monceaux, My Sister Nat is a bay mare by Acclamation out of Starlet's Sister, who produced 2018 Champion Turf Mare Sistercharlie as well as last year's Group 1 French Derby winner Sottsass.

Live racing returns on Sunday with a 10-race card which features the $85,000 Alydar for 4-year-olds and upward going 1 1/8 miles over the main track. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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Sottsass Pleases In Gallop; Gontaut-Biron Next

Last-out G1 Prix Ganay winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is on course for the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville on Aug. 15 after pleasing connections in a route piece of work on Thursday.

“He did a simple work, as we are accustomed to do,” said trainer Jean-Claude Rouget of Peter Brant’s 4-year-old. “The goal is not to have a hard work; once they have made their seasonal bow, we do maintenance work. They worked over 1,800 metres-all went well. The horse has a good action and he behaves as he does when he is in good form.

“After the Ganay, we left him alone for three weeks. His work picked up for a comeback in mid-August. We didn’t know if he would go to York [for the Juddmonte International] or to Deauville. Apparently, we are going to Deauville. He still had a fairly long break and the York race would be difficult for a semi-return to racing.

The long-term aim for last year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner is the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4.

“Sottsass will then have several options before running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe–either the Prix Foy or, if we stay over 2000 metres, the Irish Champion S.,” Rouget said. “The latter test would be more rewarding for his future stallion career. I am not the only deciding voice. There are also his connections–Peter Brant and Coolmore. We will discuss after the Gontaut-Biron.”

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Sistercharlie Set to Continue Brown’s Ballston Spa Dominance

Trainer Chad Brown has won the last three runnings of the GII Ballston Spa S. and five of the last eight and he’s likely to add to those totals when he sends out champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) Saturday afternoon at Saratoga.

Never worse than fourth in her 15 career appearances, the Peter Brant colorbearer defeated her favored stablemate Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in defense of her title in the GI Diana S. about this time last year and became the first in history to win the GI Beverly D. S. in consecutive seasons in her next outing. A measured winner of the GI Flower Bowl S. Oct. 6, she was last seen finishing third in her GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf repeat attempt Nov. 2. Brant won the 2018 Ballston Spa with Quidura (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

One year Sistercharlie’s senior is the 7-year-old Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), a 17-time winner and third to the Brown-trained Significant Form (Creative Cause) in last year’s Ballston Spa. The Florida-bred has won five of her six most recent starts, including the GI E. P. Taylor S. at her Woodbine base in October and was three-for-three over the winter in Florida, winning Gulfstream’s GIII Suwannee River S. Feb. 8 and the GIII Hillsborough S. at Tampa Mar. 7.

Call Me Love (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), already a multiple group winner in Italy, gave an excellent account of herself when runner-up to Rushing Fall in the GIII Beaugay S. on her U.S. debut June 3, but was a disappointing fifth when a well-backed 5-4 second choice in the GII New York S. June 27.

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Brown’s Success a Constant at Unorthodox Saratoga Meet

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–While most everything looks and feels different at spectator-less Saratoga Race Course this summer, trainer Chad Brown has maintained standard form. Brown has won three of the last four meet training titles–in 2019 by a whopping 20 victories over Todd Pletcher–and led the standings through the first four days of the 40-day season.

It is pretty much standard Saratoga stuff for Brown, 41, who grew up about 17 miles away in the small city of Mechanicville and was schooled in the sport at the historic track. Brown won with six of his first 16 starters this meet and his in-the-money figure was a eye-catching 81%. Three of the wins came in stakes, starting with Country Grammer’s score in the GIII Peter Pan S. on opening day. Country Grammer is headed to the Aug. 8 GI Runhappy Travers S., a race that Brown has often said is more important to him than the GI Kentucky Derby.

After completing an interview and heading toward the Oklahoma training track to watch a set of his horses train Wednesday morning, Brown laughed, threw his arms into the air and said, “What if I win the Travers and nobody is here? I might have to retire.”

Brown is a long, long way from calling it a career. He is the three-time defending Eclipse Award winner as outstanding trainer and picked up his 100th career Grade I victory in June. At Saratoga, where he won with his very first starter in 2008, he has 329 victories.

Saturday, he sends out 2018 female turf champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in the GII Ballston Spa S. It will be the first start for Peter Brant’s 6-year-old mare since she finished third as the 4-5 favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November at Santa Anita.

“She’s just a special horse,” he said. “We have a great team working with her. She’s a very special individual talent. She shows up whenever we run her, particularly off a layoff and at all different distances. We’re excited to get her back racing.”

Since she was imported in 2017, Sistercharlie has won seven Grade I races in 10 starts for Brown and has never been worse than third.

“She’s not a difficult horse to train,” he said. “She’s very straightforward. She’s all class. We’re not doing anything miraculous with her. We set the proper schedule for her and she goes ahead and she does what you ask her to do.”

With his deep personal connection to the region, Brown understands the impact of the rules put on place during the COVID-19 pandemic that have kept the popular track eerily quiet. He started a program on his Twitter account to give away some of his branded merchandise. The challenge for opening weekend was to correctly select the stable’s total of winners. A drawing was held to determine which one of the 44 people who guessed six would receive the prize.

“I feel really bad for the local fans,” Brown said. “Not only my family and friends, but people I don’t know who might yell at me at the races. To be up here prior to the meet and seeing different fans outside the gate trying to watch training when you are pulling in and out of the gate is really something to see.

“It really shows you how much this meet and horse racing in general means to the community. It really means something to me to see that. It’s what got me into the sport as a local fan growing up here and wanting to get into the sport. I see people of all ages outside the gate during training. I wish I could do more. Giving away some hats and masks is a small thing to do, but I am thinking of different ways to try keep people’s interest in what we are doing here. I hope everybody still follows the meet closely. Even if, unfortunately, they are not allowed to come in the entire meet–and I hope that’s not the case–that everyone is back here next year in the same numbers and people don’t lose interest in the sport or this meet in particular with the year off. ”

Brown said the stable gear was ordered for his 250 employees then he decided it would be nice to spread some of it around through social media.

“It’s not hard for us to do it,” he said. “Obviously, we are very busy, but we’re trying to sort of recognize the individuals that I am speaking about, who are either outside the gate here or who can’t come to Saratoga but are still watching religiously from afar and are following our meet and the sport. We’re going to try and do it, but we’re also running the meeting. But we’re trying. ”

Brown said he is pleased with how his stable got rolling early at the Spa.

“I think that is always important, particularly for this meet,” he said. “For any meet, or any major weekend of racing when you have a lot of starters, if you can get off to a good start it puts everybody in a very focused, composed manner to continue to execute their jobs.”

Despite his success at Saratoga, Brown said that he doesn’t take anything for granted and maintains a business-as-usual philosophy.

“We’re taking the same approach that we always have here: day to day and week to week,” he said. “We have nice horses each week coming up to run in all types of different spots. My team, so far, is doing what they have been doing for a long time, executing our plan.”

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