The grass is always greener outside of coach Chad Brown’s barn. Or, at least it seems so. Grass courts on grass at Racecourse Saratoga Definitely a brown color. As in Chad, of course.
Brown started his encounter with Saratoga with a bang during the stake races that took place on the Spa lawn.
He hopes to maintain that trend on July 31 when he holds off two of the five runners in the $250,000 Bowling Green (G2T), a 1-mile test on the field. Inner grass.
The cage will be represented by gelding 5 years old L’Imperator owned by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Robert V. LaPenta, and Rockempang a 6-year-old horse owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Michael J. Caruso.
The duo will have a tough action to follow. Their cage mates finished the boss job in Diana (G1T) July 16 – Brown finished first, second, third and fourth – and in Lake George (G3T) July 22 – that’s you Brown is correct.
“The horses have been running really well, for the most part,” Brown said outside his stable on Oklahoma Training Road. “On all surfaces.”
Brown has two Bowling Green victories on his résumé. He won it in 2016 with Flintshire and in 2013 with Hyper (when the race has run at 1 mile).
Rockempaster, son of Holy Roman Emperor , has been in Brown’s cage since the summer of 2019. He has made 17 starts for him, all but one in graded stake races. His only graded win came in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T) at Belmont Park on October 10, 2021.
In his last four attempts, Rockempang, who will be ridden by Flavien Prat, didn’t finish better than fifth. In his most recent warm-up, he finished fifth in Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes (G1T) in Belmont on June 11. Brown finished first and second in that race with Tribhuvan and Adhamo .
“He hasn’t been able to get his form back since last fall,” Brown said. “But he’s training really well and he likes a solid pitch. If it’s Saturday for sure, I feel like finally, in his job, he’s been at his best. that I used to see in the morning.”
One question that remains about Rockempanga’s recent form is his age.
“He’s aging a little bit,” Brown said. “You wonder if he tails some people. That’s a fair question.”
L’Imperator, also of the Holy Roman Emperor, will be ridden by Manny Franco. He was last seen in Manhattan, finishing in seventh place.
“He didn’t have a good trip,” Brown said. “I’m not sure what he’ll do in the end. And he’s left to try.”
Also participating in Bowling Green are Jerry Crawford’s Donegal Racing and 8-year-old Joseph Bugler’sArklow Coached by Brad Cox, 5-year-old son of Mrs. Fitriani Hay Head of the Central Highlands trained by Graham Motion, the 8-year-old kid of Three Diamond Farms Cross the border coached by Mike Maker and Doug Arnold Jr.’s and 5-year-old Jonathan Wilmot’s Cibolian coached by Rodolphe Brisset.
