Brown Reflects on Belmont Festival Performances

Finishing second in the "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons standings for top trainer during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Chad Brown reflected on his stable's performances highlighted by wins in the Grade 1 Knob Creek Manhattan by Slumber, March in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens, and Innovation Economy in the Belmont Gold Cup.

"It was a great two days of cards that NYRA put on and I was glad to be a part of it," said Brown. "A lot of different clients had horses with me that participated and everyone really seemed happy win or lose, everyone had a good experience and that should be noted and NYRA should really be given credit for that. As far as our racing goes we're very grateful for the horses that won, it was an outstanding weekend in that regard and of course there was a few down moments. We had a couple horses not fire two that we're really going to try to get our head around like Ball Dancing and Stephanie's Kitten, so it was highs and lows and we're just going to evaluate everything over the next couple of days and move on from here."

With American Phoaroah becoming racing's fist Triple Crown winner since 1978 in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, Brown also reflected on the experience of watching and witnessing the moment.

"We watched the race from my box and I think it was an outstanding performance from the horse, all the connections, and particularly Bob Baffert," said Brown. "He deserves a lot of credit for his horsemanship. For that horse to miss the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with an injury, and then in January to not know if he was going to be racing in any of the Triple Crown races, to have him perform as well as he did in all three events dealing with a foot issue and all that. I can tell you as a trainer that's an extraordinary training job for that horse. I know he's [Bob Baffert] going to deflect a lot of attention to the horse, which is admirable, but I can tell you being a trainer for a living that's a remarkable feat. I don't know if I've heard that much noise at the eighth-pole at any sporting event I've ever been to so it was something I'll never forget."


Source: NYRA Press Office