Instilled Regard's 'deserved' G1 win caps Brown's big day at Belmont

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown enjoyed a tremendous day at the races on Saturday's Runhappy Met Mile Day card by notching four wins, highlighted by a one-two finish in the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan with Instilled Regard and Rockemperor.

Brown leads all trainers at the Belmont spring/summer meet with 22 wins heading into Sunday's card; a tally boosted Saturday by allowances scores with Tribhuvan and Fortin Hill, as well as a visually-appealing maiden score by Publication.

OXO Equine's Instilled Regard, piloted by Belmont's leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., demonstrated a tremendous turn of foot to weave between rivals and collar stablemate Rockemperor in the final jump of the 1 1/4-mile inner turf test. The 5-year-old Arch bay, bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, matched the 102 Beyer Speed Figure from his prior score in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy at Belmont.

"The horse really deserved to win a Grade 1. He ran a great race yesterday," said Brown. "He had been knocking on the door of winning a big race. I'm really proud of the horse. He's improved a lot."

Instilled Regard launched his career on dirt for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, finishing third in the 2017 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity and fourth in the 2018 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

Brown has transformed the talented dark bay into a top-flight turf runner posting solid Grade 1 efforts when third in the 2018 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar and third again in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park to kick off his 2020 campaign.

Brown said Ortiz, Jr, who has earned the last two Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, is instrumental in the success of Instilled Regard as well as other barn stars such as Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile runner-up Network Effect.

"He's a really important part of the team. He keeps improving and he's a super talented rider," said Brown. "He showed that yesterday with several of his rides on our horses. He got the best out of Network Effect in the Met Mile. With Instilled Regard, after getting shuffled on the turn, he was able to get him to rebreak for him again and find his way through traffic to get there. That was a super, super ride."

Ortiz, Jr. tops the Belmont rider tables with 34 wins heading into Sunday's card, seven more than his brother, Jose.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Bethlehem Stables' Rockemperor earned a career-best 102 Beyer for his Manhattan effort under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.

The 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor colt arrived at the Manhattan off a similar narrow defeat in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham in May at Santa Anita when second by nose to United before being placed third via disqualification.

Brown said Rockemperor, bred in Ireland by Haras du Mezeray, has a top-flight win in his future.

"You'd think so," said Brown. "He was unlucky to lose yesterday. He probably never saw that horse coming. He ran a super race but he just got nailed on the wire."

Klaravich Stables' Network Effect saved ground in third position under Ortiz, Jr. in the Runhappy Met Mile.

With no room to bid inside of Vekoma as the field straightened away, Ortiz, Jr. tipped Network Effect out and rallied inside of Warrior's Charge before outbattling Code of Honor for second by a neck.

The effort marked the third occasion where Network Effect ran second to Vekoma including the last out Grade 1 Runhappy Carter at Belmont and the 2018 Grade 2 Nashua at the Big A.

Brown said the 4-year-old Mark Valeski chestnut is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego, presented by America's Best Racing, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up on August 29 at Saratoga.

"I think the Forego would be on his radar," said Brown.