Belmont Park: Brown works seven Breeders' Cup turf contenders

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown plans to bring an army of turf horses to this year’s Breeders’ Cup, a group that includes the 3-year-old filly Alterite, the winner of the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes, who Brown said Sunday would be supplemented to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf by owner Martin Schwartz.

On Sunday, seven of Brown’s Breeders’ Cup turf hopefuls put in workouts over the Belmont Park turf course, with Real Solution (Turf), Bobby’s Kitten (Juvenile Turf), and Kitten Kaboodle (Juvenile Fillies Turf) standing out.

Alterite, who finished second in the Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland on Oct. 13, did not breeze, and her participation in the Filly and Mare Turf will hinge on how she works next weekend, Brown said.[bc_video_id:307822:]

Real Solution, who was placed first in the Grade 1 Arlington Million in August, worked five furlongs in company with Grade 1 Sword Dancer winner Big Blue Kitten, finishing about a half-length in front of that one at the wire while galloping out stronger of the two. Real Solution, shading 23 seconds in the final quarter, went in 1:02.54, while Big Blue Kitten went in 1:02.64.

Brown noted that Big Blue Kitten is not as good a work horse as is Real Solution. Big Blue Kitten is coming off a second-place finish in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, finishing a length in front of third-place Real Solution.

“Real Solution I thought worked terrific again; he’s put in two really nice works since the Joe Hirsch,” Brown said. “He couldn’t have possibly done any better today for what I was looking for.”

Bobby’s Kitten, the 6 1/2-length winner of the Grade 3 Pilgrim, also put in a sensational work, working a half-mile in 48 seconds. Under exercise rider Kriss Bon, Bobby’s Kitten began three lengths behind workmate Storming Inti, caught him in the first quarter-mile and finished a length in front of him at the wire.

Brown, who communicates with his exercise riders via two-way radios, instructed Bon not to do much on Bobby’s Kitten in the stretch.

“I was really interested in just keeping it a maintenance work,” Brown said. “That was the work I was most vocal about as far as once he caught him, to sit there. That horse ran so well in the Pilgrim, and he ran a big figure. I’m just trying to keep him where he’s at.”

Brown also is trying to keep Kitten Kaboodle, coming off a 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 9, in her current form.

Under John Velazquez, Kitten Kaboodle worked a good-looking half-mile in 48.24 seconds in company with La Reine Bourbon but galloped sensationally around the turn. Velazquez will ride Kitten Kaboodle for the first time in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She was tremendous; she looked like she did that in first gear,” Brown said. “All indications are that she came out of the Jessamine in terrific shape. The trip didn’t take anything out of her. She’s going to have to run back in the Breeders’ Cup on short rest, but if that work is any indication, she’s going to be able to handle that very well.”

Kitten Kaboodle is one of four horses Brown hopes to run in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Ready to Act, who dumped her rider in deep stretch of the Natalma at Woodbine in September, worked five furlongs in 1:01.93 inside of stablemate Watsdachances, the runner-up in last year’s Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Testa Rossi and Granny Mc’s Kitten, the first- and fourth-place finishers in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes, were head-and-head in a four-furlong workout in 49.54 seconds over the turf.

Well before his turf horses worked, Brown worked Summer Applause a half-mile in 49.54 seconds over the main track in company with Street Secret. Summer Applause got her last quarter in 23.90 seconds and is being pointed to the Filly and Mare Sprint.