Chatlos taking his time with collection of pricy 2-year-olds

Trainer Don Chatlos is overseeing a stable of 12 well-bred horses owned mainly by Larry Best's OXO Stables and all in varying stages of readiness for the Saratoga summer meet.

Among the notable 2-year-olds are high-level auction purchases Brattle House, Cheffy, Koolhaus, Tale of Dawn and Eleven Central.

"We're not rushing any of them,” Chatlos said. “The ones that make Saratoga will make it.

"Mr. Best doesn't want to waste time but he knows if you press, in a way that is wasting time if you end up having to stop. We're taking a different approach this year and letting the horses take us where they want to go.

"We have some ready to run and a few others that will benefit from training here and be ready for Belmont. Some pedigrees you have to be patient with and they're not all going to be first out 2-year-olds and run straight to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Some of these are going to be more January or February of their 3-year-old year and if you try to press them before then, you'll end up on the sidelines at the wrong time of the year."

Brattle House, bred in New York by Oak Bluff Stables and Christophe Clement, brought $775,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Preferred New York Bred Yearling Sale. The Malibu Moon filly is out of the Street Sense mare Savvy Sassy. She has yet to record her first breeze.

"She's just getting going right now,” Chatlos said. “We're not going to rush her.”

Tale of Dawn, a colt by Quality Road and out of the High Cotton mare Tanasi, was purchased for $525,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock, Tale of Dawn is from the same family as Grade 1 winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps.

"He's a nice horse but he's way behind,” Chatlos said. “He got sick as a yearling, so he didn't get broke with the rest of them. He's just getting going, but he's looking good."

Cheffy was hammered down for $450,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. The Quality Road colt is further along than his stablemates with four breezes at Keenland and a half-mile in 49.51 on July 20 on the Oklahoma training track to his credit.

"He's clicking right along,” Chatlos said. “He's very smart and trains like an older horse.”

Koolhaus, a colt from the first crop of Nyquist, is out of Lady Eli's half-sister Holy Place. She was purchased for $600,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and is three works into his career including a three-eighths effort in 37.37 on Monday on the Oklahoma training track.

"He was on the same track as Cheffy, but he got a temperature shipping to me in Kentucky, so he's about 10 days behind," Chatlos said.

Eleven Central, by Into Mischief and out of Canada's 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill, is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Cambier Parc and graded stakes winners Gale Force, Belle Hill and Hillaby. A $950,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he worked three-eighths in 40.65 July 20 on the Oklahoma Training Track.

Chad Brown, who trained Cambier Parc as well as recent Manhattan (G1) winner Instilled Regard for OXO Equine, will take over training duties this week on Eleven Central. 

"That horse will be going to Chad because he trained Cambier Parc," Chatlos said. "He's a typical Into Mischief, very forward. He's learning. It will help him getting over to Chad because he has a lot more horses than I do and can gallop him with two or three in company. When I have him going with one other horse, he just wants to play. I think he'll be a good fall horse."

The unraced Lefroy, a 3-year-old Verrazano colt out of the stakes winning Black Tie Affair mare Argent Affair, was purchased for $700,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He is a half-brother to 2018 Pilgrim (G3) winner Forty Under.  He was working steadily at Santa Anita in February until incurring a difficult setback.

"He was doing really good at Santa Anita and then he almost died on me – he had salmonella poisoning," Chatlos said. "He was in the hospital for 36 days. The first 15 days they weren't sure he was going to make it. We took our time with him and got him going again in Kentucky. He seems to be going good now." 

Lefroy return to the work tab in July at Keeneland and worked a half-mile in 50.07 on Monday on the Oklahoma training track.

Others in the barn include the veteran Rowayton ($320,000, FTS Aug), a 4-year-old Into Mischief colt who is multiple Grade 1 placed; Clivetty ($900,000 OBS), a 3-year-old full sister to Rowayton, who was off-the-board in the Dogwood (G3) last out June 6 at Churchill Downs; the unraced Klugh ($350,000, 2018 Keeneland November), a colt by Medaglia d'Oro; Madison Parc ($420,000 FTK November), a New York-bred half-sister to Brill, who was sixth yesterday in a Saratoga maiden; Searing Chase ($700,000, KEE Sep), a 4-year-old Uncle Mo gelding with one start under his belt; and Snap Chap ($1.2M, 2018 KEE Sep), a 3-year-old Into Mischief colt with two starts in California.

Clivetty earned a 55 Beyer in her first out graduation in February at Santa Anita and followed up with a fourth in an optional-claiming mile on the Santa Anita turf. Last out, she was sixth in the Dogwood won by Four Graces, who exited that effort to set a track record winning the Beaumont (G3) at Keeneland.

"Clivetty is doing well,” Chatlos said. “She broke her maiden first time out at Santa Anita. She was overmatched against Four Graces in the Dogwood. We'll get her in a 'one other than' here.”

Searing Chase went to post at odds of 9-2 in a seven-furlong maiden event July 8 at Keeneland and closely stalked the pace until fading late.

"He went seven-eighths first out at Keeneland and got a little tired,” Chatlos said. “We're looking at a maiden on Aug. 1.”