Across a triad of tracks, including Aqueduct, Woodbine and Churchill Downs, we find both Grade II and Grade III races over the turf and the Tapeta which should come as a welcome dose.

First on Saturday, the Big A cards the GIII Pebbles S., which is a one mile battle on the Inner Turf. If Chad Brown trainee Rhiannon (Medaglia d'Oro) can build on her first grass attempt at second asking, which was an impressive seven-length score Sept. 16, then she's the pick.

Before we send the bay filly straight to the winner's circle, don't count out her stablemate, Startup Mentality (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who debuted a winner at Monmouth Park July 22. Nor should we negate the talent of GI Coaching Club Oaks runner-up Sacred Wish (Not This Time). The George Weaver trainee finished just off the board in the GIII Valley View S. at Keeneland Oct. 27.

Towards the end of the Aqueduct card the renewal of the GII Red Smith S. includes a number of experienced older turf experts who will take on the 3-year-old upstart and younger brother to MGISW Nest (Curlin) in Lost Ark (Violence). Last seen winning the off the turf GI Jockey Club Invitational Oct. 7 during the Belmont at the Big A meet, the Todd Pletcher trainee is going to have his work cut out for him against the likes of MGISP Soldier Rising (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and GSW Verstappen (War Front).

The Sunday action concludes in Ozone Park with the GIII Long Island S., which will be headlined by GSW Vergara (Noble Mission {GB}).

Heading to Canada, Woodbine Racetrack puts on a pair of Saturday graded stakes races in the GIII Maple Leaf and the GII Bessarabian. Both have large fields, but the latter might be the most intriguing with several alums present from the GIII Ontario Fashion S. Oct. 14. Out of the bunch, look for GSW Loyalty (Hard Spun) to get back to her winning ways for Gainesway Stable and LNJ Foxwoods.

Trucking down to Churchill Downs that same afternoon, the GIII River City S. is a nine-furlong route over the Matt Winn Turf Course. You'll recognize stalwarts GISW Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and GSW Cellist (big Blue Kitten), plus older colts like GSW Kitodan (Point of Entry), GSP Smokin' T (War Front) and GSW Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro). A mark of consistency, SP Siege of Boston (War Front) takes his first shot at graded company for owner Joseph Allen and trainer James Toner.

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“He was great,” said Brown. He was in control the entire way and galloped out super. He came back good.”

Also on Saturday's worktab, Klaravich Stables' multiple Grade I-winner Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) breezed five-eighths in 1:01.85 in company with Peter Brant's multiple Grade I-winner Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

“They went excellent this morning,” said Brown. “Both horses are on target for the Breeders' Cup.

Domestic Spending, who will target the Turf, is a winner of a trio of Grade Is including this season's Manhattan and a co-topping effort with Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the May 1 Turf Classic. Most recently, he was a closing second in the GI Mr. D on Aug. 14 at Arlington Park.

“He breezed great today and galloped out strong. He's very fit,” Brown said.

According to Brown, Raging Bull, a closing third in the Sept. 18 GI Woodbine Mile, will make his next start in the Mile.

“He's looking for really fast ground and I expect to get that at Del Mar,” added Brown.

In addition to Domestic Spending, Brown is also aiming GI United Nations scorer Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. victor Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) at the 12-furlong test. The former worked five panels in 1:00.50 in company with Group 2-placed filly Nazuna (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (1:00.40).

Targeting the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Peter Brant's My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}) and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes worked a half-mile in company over the inner turf. The 11-furlong GIII Waya S. winner went in :49.23, while the latter completed the task in :49.26.

“The mile and three eighths is a good trip for her,” Brown said of the half-sister to champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}).

Also on target for the F&M Turf, Juddmonte's Pocket Square (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) worked five furlongs in 1:02.02 with Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (1:02.11) over the inner turf.

“The filly is training pretty good. I'm going to pre-enter her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and see what it looks like,” said Brown of the Sept. 25 GIII Athenia S. winner. “Her last race really changed my mind about her. I thought she ran good at that distance and the way she galloped out steady. If she's good enough or not, I'm not sure. It's not a definite she's going but I want to take a look at it and see.”

Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Company (Kitten's Joy) breezed a half-mile in :49.41 in company with General Ken (Violence), a recent private purchase for an ownership led by Louis Lazzinnaro. A maiden winner, Portfolio Company was runner up in the GIII With Anticipation S. in September at Saratoga and GII Pilgrim S. Oct. 3 at Belmont. He is targeting the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Brown also confirmed that Royal Flag (Candy Ride {Arg}), last out winner of the GII Beldame S., will target the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}), recent winner of Keeneland's GI First Lady S., would be pre-entered to the Mile.

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He kicked off this season with a third in the GII Fort Marcy S. May 1 behind yet another stablemate, and was fifth to Brown's highly regarded Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the local GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. June 5. The bay got a chance to build some confidence with an easy optional claiming tally here June 26, and was second to re-opposing Cross Border (English Channel) in the GII Bowling Green S. at the Spa July 31 before settling for fourth behind race favorite Gufo (Declaration of War) in the GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer S. upstate Aug. 28.

Dismissed at 15-1 while shedding blinkers for the first time since the Fort Marcy, Rockemperor had only race favorite Gufo beaten as they raced under the line for the first time. He was still patiently ridden after a mile in 1:38.62 and as Gufo went for what would prove a premature run. Rockemperor swept past foes widest leaving the home bend, put away the leg-weary Gufo and the rest of his rivals in upper stretch and poured it on from there to score by two lengths. Lightly raced Serve the King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) rallied into second over Gufo. The all-Brown exacta paid $178.50 for $2.

“I think he's the type of horse that's always keen going a long distance and is always pulling right away. I think the key is [Brown] told me he wanted to take off the blinkers,” winning pilot Javier Castellano said. “He's a funny horse because if you leave him too far back, he doesn't come. I think he was in the right place at the right time today. I think he was behind and it felt they went pretty quick, and he relaxed so well. When Gufo moved it gave me the opportunity to get to following. It was a key decision to get to win the race.”

This was the third Joe Hirsch win for Brown, who noted that Rockemperor was a supplemental entry into Saturday's event.

“Serve the King was always running here and Rockemperor was entered in an allowance race the other day and the race didn't go. I have to give credit to [co-owner] Sol Kumin, he was the first one to text me and say, 'Shouldn't we think about the Joe Hirsch?' Why not? He was doing really good and I've been really impressed with the horse in the morning. He's always a good work horse.”

Brown continued, “We put a different bit in his mouth for a little more control. He got a little rank on us lately. For a horse that was always lazy the first half of his career, I couldn't really get him to kick like he showed in his works. He was one paced. I put blinkers on him to get him motivated and warm him up in the post parade–everything you do to try and put a horse more in the game. It came to a boiling point in the last race because he overcompensated and was way out of control with [jockey] Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] and bothered [stablemate] Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) in the race.”

As for a potential start, or two, in the GI Breeders ' Cup Turf next month, Brown said, “Both horses–you'd have to look at it. We'll see how the figures come back, but I'm not going to make any decisions right now. Serve the King ran second and to be fair he had a lot of trouble in the stretch. He looked like he would've had a chance to win as well. They would have been very close at the wire if he'd had a better trip.”

Brown-trained mares would run 1-2 in Keeneland's GI First Lady S. about an hour after the Joe Hirsch.

Saturday, Belmont Park
JOE HIRSCH TURF CLASSIC S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont, 10-9, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:25.61, fm.
1–ROCKEMPEROR (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
                1st Dam: Motivation (Fr) (SP-Fr), by Muhtathir (GB)
                2nd Dam: Jade Island, by Jade Hunter
                3rd Dam: Nijinsky's Best, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. (€50,000 Ylg '17 ARAUG; €12,000 2yo '18 ARQMAY).
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables,
Michael E. Kisber & Michael J. Caruso; B-Haras du Mezeray
(IRE); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Javier Castellano. $275,000. Lifetime
Record: GSP-Fr, 20-4-5-6, $914,404. Werk Nick Rating: B+. 
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Serve the King (GB), 126, h, 5, Kingman (GB)–Fallen In Love
(GB), by Galileo (Ire). (260,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Normandie Stud Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Gufo, 126, c, 4, Declaration of War–Floy, by Petionville.
O-Otter Bend Stables, LLC; B-John Little & Stephen Cainelli
(KY); T-Christophe Clement. $60,000.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 15.60, 14.80, 1.85.
Also Ran: Channel Maker, Arklow, Japan (GB), Cross Border.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
Rockemperor becomes the 14th highest-level winner, 49th graded/group winner and 90th black-type winner for Coolmore veteran Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). He is the 13th stakes winner (nine group or graded) for broodmare sire Muhthathir (GB). He hails from the extended female family of MGISW and GI Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up Yagli and important female influences Blush With Pride and her daughter Better Than Honour. The winner's dam Motivation has an unraced 2-year-old by Almanzor (Fr). She sold for €160,000 to Michel Zerolo's Oceanic Bloodstock while in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB) at the 2019 Arqana December breeding stock sale.

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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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“The only Grade I going a flat mile on the grass at Saratoga is against boys. Will we try it? Probably,” said Bradley Weisbord of BSW/Crow Bloodstock, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “She was an unlucky loser last year to Got Stormy. We could take that route again this year and try to protect our title in the First Lady at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”

Since joining Brown in 2017, Uni has placed in all but one of her 13 starts for the trainer, including eight stakes wins at six different tracks. In 2018, Uni won twice over soft and yielding turf in Saratoga’s De La Rose S. and the GIII Noble Damsel S. at Belmont. While the turf was listed as “firm” for the Just a Game, there were rain showers in the Elmont area earlier in the day.

“She’s won on soft turf before, but [jockey] Joel [Rosario] said she was struggling with the turf that day,” said Weisbord of the 6-year-old’s latest start. “She probably needed the race. She had a splint issue in April and breezed four or five times heading into the Just a Game, so she wasn’t super cherry heading into the race and you have to be cherry to beat a filly like Newspaperofrecord. Hats off to Chad for getting her back to Grade I form. She’ll be tough the rest of the year.”

Fellow Brown trainee Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a close second in the GI Manhattan to stable mate Instilled Regard (Arch), could target the Sept. 5 GI Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old is campaigned by Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael Kisber and Bethlehem Stables.

“It’s hard to know what his best distance his, but a mile and an eighth should hit him right over the head,” Weisbord said. “We’ve gotten beat a lot in stakes, but what made that such a brutal beat [last time] was because he had the horses in front of him collared. I don’t think the horse or Johnny saw Instilled Regard coming.”

Rockemperor has placed in four of his five starts in the United States, including a third in last season’s GI Belmont Derby. He made his seasonal bow in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds Mar. 21 before being demoted to third in the May 23 GII Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita.

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Instilled Regard’s reopposing stablemate Devamani (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a neck behind in the Fort Marcy, also notching a 102 Beyer, and a nose away from the win in his other 2020 start, the Feb. 8 GIII Tampa Bay S. He looks to be an improving sort who has a previous win over this distance at Belmont. The third of the Brown entries, Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), placed in last year’s GI Belmont Derby at this distance in his first U.S. start and was last seen a nose behind United (Giant’s Causeway) in the May 23 GII Charles Whittingham S. at 10 furlongs, although he was disqualified to third. He’s looking for his first Stateside win in four starts, but has three graded placings in that time.

The Brown trio may be favored, but they’ll have to get by Grade I veterans Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy) and Channel Maker (English Channel) first. The 7-year-old Sadler’s Joy, a Tom Albertrani trainee, placed in two previous editions of the Manhattan and has won over this distance at Belmont, but generally prefers a little longer, as seen in his four graded wins which include the 12-furlong GI Sword Dancer S. He and the Bill Mott-trained Channel Maker both used the ungraded Tiller S. over 1 3/8 miles at Belmont June 4 as their wake-up call after brief freshenings with neither proving a threat that day. Channel Maker hasn’t won in 13 months since taking the GI Man O’ War S., but has a mountain of back class.

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