Bleecker Street has turned out to be a pleasant surprise for Brown

Bleecker Street wasn’t meant to be one of Chad Brown’s top female turf horses.

But when Bleecker Street trained just average on dirt, Brown switched her to the grass. Now, midway through her 4-year-old season, Bleecker Street is 7 for 7 in her career.

Coming off a victory in the Grade 1 New York Stakes last month at Belmont, Bleecker Street could be favored in Saturday’s Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga.

Bleecker Street was one of four horses Brown entered in Saturday’s Diana. In Italian and Rougir - like Bleecker Street owned by Peter Brant - and Technical Analysis are Brown’s other entrants as he seeks his sixth Diana win in the last seven years and seventh overall.

The Diana drew six. In post order, they are Technical Analysis, Creative Flair, Bleecker Street, Rougir, Dalika and In Italian.

Bleecker Street, a daughter of Quality Road, made her first start at Monmouth Park, her second start at the Meadowlands, and this past winter ran three times at Tampa Downs, winning the Grade 3 Endeavour and Grade 2 Hillsborough. Bleecker Street won the Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill Downs before beating stablemates Flighty Lady, Virginia Joy and Rougir in the New York on June 10.

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“Every time I’ve asked her to do something she’s stepped up and done it,” Brown said. “Every one of her races has been a new challenge for her. No matter competition, distance or the type of turf she’s on, she keeps meeting the challenges. She keeps running faster number each time, slowly getting better and stronger.

“You can’t start your career any better on turf where you’re so trip dependent and weather dependent. For her to start off with seven straight is just remarkable.”

Brown said Bleecker Street, daughter of Quality Road, was bought as a dirt horse. He said she just didn’t train like a top-level horse on dirt so he switched her to the turf where she showed him more talent. He got her started at the two New Jersey tracks, in part because he wanted to bring her along slowly and because he had other fillies for the better races at other tracks.

“Make no mistake, I didn’t run her at the Meadowlands or Monmouth thinking she’s an eventual Grade 1 winner,” Brown said. “But it’s not like we didn’t like the horse. If we didn’t like her, she would have been in for a claiming tag or in the sale.”

Brown said it wasn’t until he got Bleecker Street down to Florida for the winter that he really started to see the filly blossom.

“It was clear to me she was a graded stakes-level filly for sure,” he said.

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Brown said her 3 3/4-length victory in the Endeavour on March 12 confirmed she belonged in Grade 1 races.

Despite her 5-for-5 record this year, Bleecker Street is still looking up at her stablemate Regal Glory in the female turf division. Regal Glory has two Grade 1 wins this year and is eyeing a start against males in the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 13.