Brown Saddles Consumer Credit in Sweetest Chant
Chad Brown will saddle Consumer Credit for a start in Saturday’s $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park with a history of success in the newly graded mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
“We’ve had a lot of luck in that race,” Brown said.
The 37-year-old trainer has saddled the last three winners of the Sweetest Chant: Ready to Act (2014), Premier Steps (2013) and Dayatthespa (2012). He is hopeful that Consumer Credit can give him a four-bagger in the 19th running of the Sweetest Chant, one of five stakes (four graded) on Saturday’s 11-race program.
“I think she has that type of ability. She’s got a long ways to go, but she has a lot of talent,” Brown said. “She’s a good-looking horse and she’s well bred. We always liked her.”
The daughter of More Than Ready will be seeking her third consecutive victory after coming up short in her first two career starts.
“We always thought a lot of this filly. She had some bad luck early. She got buried in traffic in her debut and should have won. Then, she got rained off in her second start and had to run in the mud and still finished second. Since then she’s put two really good races together,” said Brown, who trains the Kentucky-bred filly for Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. “We think she’s a horse with a ton of ability.”
Consumer Credit broke her maiden at six furlongs over a yielding Belmont Park turf course on Oct. 25, drawing off to a 2 ¼-length victory after stalking the early pace. She returned to action at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 29, scoring a dominating 3 ¾-length triumph in the Wait a While Stakes over a firm course at Saturday’s mile distance.
“She’s not a tall one. She’s kind of short. She doesn’t have a lot of scope to her, but when she trains, she trains like a horse that will run up to a mile, at least,” Brown said. “Once we go beyond a mile, it’ll be uncharted territory.”
Edgard Zayas has the return mount on Consumer Credit in the Sweetest Chant, which drew a field of 10 fillies.
Red Sashay, who finished in Consumer Credit’s wake in the Wait a While, was entered Monday by trainer Jane Cibelli for a rematch in the Sweetest Chant. The daughter of Big Brown checked in a late-closing fifth behind Consumer Credit after trailing the 12-horse field after a half mile in their last meeting.
“I thought the turf course there was speed favoring for most of the meet. It’s a different configuration to any turf course I’ve seen,” Cibelli said. “She broke off the pace and she had no chance of winning. She was too far back.”
Red Sashay had previously demonstrated a distinct fondness for the Gulfstream Park turf course, winning both starts with impressive stretch drives. After finishing off the board on dirt in her debut at Monmouth on Aug. 23, Red Sashay took to the local turf with a late surge that earned her a dead-heat maiden victory while stretching out to a mile on Sept. 14. She came right back to win the Our Dear Peggy Stakes on Oct. 4, closing from 12th with a five-wide drive.
“At the time I thought she was too far back, but it’s hard to criticize when you win. When she kicks it in gear, she has a tremendous turn of foot,” Cibelli said. “I’m hoping Saturday she won’t be so far back. You can’t keep spotting these horses so much ground. She doesn’t need to be forwardly placed but she can’t be sitting that far back, I don’t think.”
Red Sashay has given her trainer hope that she may be in closer contention during the early stages of the Sweetest Chant.
“Her works have been a lot sharper,” said Cibelli, who trains the filly for Greenwood Racing V. “She worked the same that she ran, which was sitting back there having a ham sandwich and then she’d roll the last part. Now, she seems to work a lot better than she did and still finishing well. But we’re not taking the run out of her. Right now, she’s getting into her works a lot better than she has.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. has been named to ride Red Sashay for the first time.
Nicky’s Brown Miss, who finished third behind Consumer Credit in the Wait a While, is scheduled to start in the Sweetest Chant. The daughter of Big Brown followed up her promising showing at Gulfstream Park West with a runner-up finish in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 3. Gabriel Saez has the mount aboard the Savino Capilupi-owned and -trained filly.
Ol’ Fashion Gal is slated to bring graded-stakes credentials into the Sweetest Chant. Trained by Mark Casse, the daughter of Sky Mesa is undefeated in two starts on turf, including a triumph in the Jimmy Durante (G3) Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 29.
Quality Rocks is scheduled to make her first start since finishing off the board in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 31. The Bill Mott-trained daughter of Rock Hard Ten had previously finished second in the Jessamine (G3) at Keeneland.
Miss Temple City is expected to test stakes company for the first time Saturday after winning her only two career starts. The Graham Motion-trained daughter of Temple City scored a three-length victory in an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream on Dec. 17 after breaking her maiden in her debut at Laurel.
Loon River, Cosmic Serenity, Cardinal Cove and Angel Falls round out the field.
Source: Gulfstream Park