There's no Arlington Million this year. The Manhattan, with a purse of $400,000, was worth a fraction of its usual $1 million purse. For a guy who often makes significant amounts of money in $1 million grass races for older horses, trainer Chad Brown hasn't had a chance to run in a race with such conditions since the Pegasus World Cup Turf back in January, so he's loading up Saturday at Churchill Downs in the $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic.
"It's like the old days," Brown said of the race retaining its seven-figure purse.
"These big-purse races have been rare this year, understandably, because of the cutback from COVID, so this is a rare opportunity," he said.
Brown will send out three horses _ Digital Age, Rockemperor, and Sacred Life _ in the Turf Classic in search of his second straight win in the Grade 1 race after winning it last year with Bricks and Mortar, the eventual Horse of the Year. Mike Maker, who also is often well represented in grass races for older horses, will saddle Mr Dumas and Somelikeithotbrown. Between Brown and Maker, that's 50% of the 10-horse field.
The Turf Classic, at 1 [ miles, is in its usual spot on the Kentucky Derby Day card, immediately preceding the Run for the Roses. It goes as race 13 of 14, and is the second of three straight Grade 1 races that bring this postponed Derby Day card to a resounding coda.
Rockemperor was second most recently to stablemate Instilled Regard in the Grade 1 Manhattan on July 4 at Belmont Park, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 102. That followed a trip to California for the Grade 2 Whittingham, in which he finished second but then was moved back to third via disqualification. Both those races were at 1 \ miles.
"I thought he was very unlucky not to win both his last two starts," Brown said. "He's a top-quality horse, very forward in his training. I think he's doing better than ever."
Rockemperor has fired in all three of his starts this year _ including a third-place finish behind Turf Classic rivals Factor This and Dontblame-rocket in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial at Fair Grounds in March _ but he remains winless in this country since arriving in the summer of 2019 from France.
Sacred Life may offer the most upside, and value, of Brown's trio. He returned from a six-month layoff to beat a softer bunch at Monmouth in the listed Oceanport, but the performance was visually dazzling.
"He couldn't have been more impressive," Brown said. "We've always thought a lot of the horse."
Digital Age is making his third start off a lengthy layoff and returning to stakes competition after beating a third-level allowance field at Saratoga, which ended a six-race losing streak. He won the Grade 2 American Turf here in 2019, also in the third start of a form cycle.
"Big purse and win over the course," Brown said of the reasons for giving Digital Age a shot. "He's going to have to come with his fastest race, but he's worked well out of his last race and deserves the opportunity."
Somelikeithotbrown and Mr Dumas ran one-two for Maker in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch on July 26 at Saratoga. Somelikeithotbrown led every step of the way, but Maker thinks he can sit off a horse, and he may need to, what with Factor This likely going to the lead, per usual, from his inside draw, and Spectacular Gem, drawn widest, also figuring to be prominent.
"I don't think he has to have things his own way," Maker said.
Mr Dumas got a career-best Beyer of 100 in the 1 1/16-mile Baruch and now returns to a course over which he's 3 for 4.
"I think the extra sixteenth will help him," Maker said. "The pace scenario could help him as well."
Factor This is the morning-line favorite as he seeks his fifth straight win, at distances ranging from 1 1/16 miles to 1 \ miles. This is his first try in a Grade 1 race.
Bowies Hero is in from California, where he was fourth of seven in the Grade 2 Eddie Read at Del Mar last time out.
Dontblamerocket has lost four straight and seems far better at Fair Grounds, where he split Factor This and Rockemperor in the Muniz.
True Valour, winless in six starts since October, makes his first start for Graham Motion but always has seemed better at a mile.
