2022 Eclipse Awards: Chad Brown

During 2022, four North American trainers tied for 126th in seasonal wins, each notching 51 winners. Not a bad year at all.

Now, consider Chad Brown. He, too, had 51 winners – just counting graded stakes. It’s a remarkable tally, and in recent seasons only Brown has put up comparable numbers of graded stakes wins in a year, landing 53 in 2019 and 46 in 2018. In 2021, Todd Pletcher led the way with 35 graded wins.

Brown was named champion trainer in 2016-19, and he’s the front-runner to win his fifth Eclipse following a shining performance on the track last year.

Brown, 44, from the start of the year appeared intently focused on wiping away a 2021 season slightly below par by his world-class standards. Brown boosted his annual stable earnings from about $22.2 million in 2021 to more than $31 million last year, leading all trainers. His 244 wins were fourth-most in North America, and Brown’s 26 percent strike rate was highest among the top 10 trainers by wins.

:: Full list of 2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Brown sent out third-place Kentucky Derby finisher Zandon and two weeks later won the Preakness with Early Voting. He trained crack 3-year-old sprinter-miler Jack Christopher and has Goodnight Olive, a leading candidate to be champion female sprinter. But, as usual, much of Brown’s green was earned on grass, with fillies and mares at the vanguard. Multiple Grade 1 winners Regal Glory and In Italian led that wing of the stable, but a bevy of other runners helped Brown utterly dominate the division.

Wins, graded stakes wins, earnings, win-percentage – no matter how you push around the stats, you’re staring at another Eclipse-caliber year for Chad Brown.

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