Brown Aims for Third Title at the Spa

[Wandering Eyes]

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — As he begins his quest for a third training title at Saratoga Race Course, Chad Brown is well aware that he will be measured against himself. It’s a tough assignment.

Brown claimed his first title in 2016, and finished second, 40-39, to perennial champ Todd Pletcher in 2017. During the rain-soaked 2018 meet, when 50 races were washed off the turf — the surface where Brown dominates — he ran away from the competition with a record-setting 46 victories. Pletcher was next with 19 wins.

Success at Saratoga is a big deal for every trainer. For Brown, 40, who grew up in Mechanicville, 15 miles from the historic track, there is even more incentive, or pressure, to perform well. He makes no secret that a primary focus of his now massive stable is the 40-day Saratoga season, which opens on July 11. During an interview in his office in the Horse Haven barn area across Union Avenue from the track, the three-time Eclipse Award winner smiled and acknowledged that the goal is for a repeat of 2018.

“We are realistic about the prospects of doing it again. It’s not easy to do,” he said. “A lot of things have to go your way, you know, from keeping your horses healthy, to the weather, to racing luck. A lot of factors go into having a really good meet, a record-breaking meet.

“But that said, we are flush with a lot of talented race horses right now and maybe we got a lot of the rain out of the way. You would think the law of averages would bring us to a better weather pattern into the meet. Last year, we had a remarkable meet, but, man, the first week to two weeks were very wet, particularly the first week. The fact we were still able to have the meet that we had with so much wet weather we had was really remarkable. It’s probably unrealistic to think that we can go eight weeks all with good weather. That is part of it; we have a lot of turf horses. I am sure there are some areas where we won’t do quite as well, but there are some other areas where we might do better at when you put the whole meet together.”

In 2016, Brown never seemed able to relax, even when it was clear that he was on his way to the first title. The 2017 trainers standings were decided on the final day. But last year he said he was able to enjoy what he and his team were accomplishing.

“During the meet, especially the last couple weeks of the meet, I, personally, tried to slow things down as much as I could to try and take it all in and appreciate the success of our operation, of all of our hard-working staff that were really getting their personal gratification about succeeding, about winning,” he said. “That meet last year, like all the meets before it, was a result of long-term preparation by our team. And to see it coming together, successfully, I did stop and observe this and appreciate it as much as we could. We all know we can’t stop time. Things are going to keep moving forward every minute, every hour, every day. I feel I got a lot of satisfaction out of it. I don’t have any regrets about how much I appreciated it, how much I enjoyed it last year.”

In late May it was announced that Brown had agreed to a $1.6 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor for violations that included failure to pay overtime to some of his employees. The settlement figure was for back wages, liquidated damages and penalties. Part of the agreement, Brown said, is that he is prevented from talking about the case.

“I can’t comment on it, unfortunately,” he said. “I just want to move on from it.”

This is Brown’s 12th full season as a trainer after working for five years for the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, who he considers his mentor. With little to show in his nascent career, Brown’s request for Saratoga stalls in 2008 was initially turned down by NYRA. He did manage to pick up some, though, and won with the first horse he saddled, Star Player (Tale of the Cat), in the first race on opening day. By season’s end his stats — six wins from 18 starts and 50% in the money – were yielding attention and new clients. According to Equibase, Brown has 282 career wins from 1,100 starts at Saratoga, 25.6%, and his runners have been on the board at a 58.9% clip. Brown has 29 graded stakes wins at Saratoga, nine of them in Grade I races, and a total of 59 stakes wins.

Chad C. Brown Total Statistics at Saratoga through 7/2/2019
Year	Starts	Wins	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
2018	171	46	35	28	$                                4,428,772
2017	158	39	33	26	$                                4,358,465
2016	164	40	35	23	$                                4,889,285
2015	142	31	21	23	$                                2,655,834
2014	98	23	15	14	$                                1,905,604
2013	87	24	14	18	$                                 2,277,378
2012	95	29	21	13	$                                 1,978,093
2011	75	22	16	4	$                                 1,185,194
2010	56	17	8	5	$                                    537,630
2009	36	5	5	6	$                                    273,208
2008	18	6	3	–	$                                    199,616
Total	1,100	282	206	160	$                              24,689,079

 

Much like Saratoga itself, Brown understands he is graded against his previous accomplishments, especially at his home track, where he became a fan of the sport.

“I have accepted that as being part of professional sports. So, I don’t think there is anything unfair about it,” he said. “I think another way to term is: it’s a challenge you accept when you enter a profession like this in professional sports. If you are successful and running a championship team or championship organization, you are often expected to keep raising the bar, or at the very least, repeat. I accept that as part of the deal.”

Two of Brown’s stable stars, Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) and defending champ Robert Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company {Ire}) are headed to the GI Arlington Million and won’t race at the Spa. Bricks and Mortar has returned from a career-threatening injury to win five straight races, three of them Grade I stakes. Brown said it was possible that Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), third behind Bricks and Mortar and Robert Bruce in the GI Manhattan, may run in the Million or the GI Fourstardave, also Aug. 10 at Saratoga. The unbeaten GI Acorn winner Guarana (Ghostzapper) is a candidate for the GI Coaching Club American Oaks July 20 and, if she handles the 1 1/8 miles, could go on to the GI Alabama Aug. 17. Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) is on course for the GI Diana — which Brown has won four times, the last three in a row — July 13. He estimated that about two dozen of his 80 2-year-olds are likely to race during the Saratoga meet.

Once again this summer, Brown aims to be on top of the Saratoga trainer’s standings when the meet ends Sept 2.

“I am confident that we are in a very good position because we have a deep bench of talented, healthy horses, knock on wood, right now that I can see having good meets here,” he said. “The advantage of doing it this many years in a row is like a golfer going to a certain course every year. You have certain courses that you know. For us, I am not going to say I know this course better than anyone but I am doing this a little while now and I know this course very well. I know every hole that is coming. I know where the fairways are and how the greens flow. So, I try to adapt my game, my roster, to what is about to happen.”

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