Brown barn well represented in turf festival nominations

DEL MAR, Calif. – Chad Brown, the nation’s Eclipse Award-winning trainer the past three years, has made the turf festival at Del Mar a major focal point of his post-Breeders’ Cup plans in recent years, and it appears he’ll be taking aim at the meet’s major prizes yet again.

Brown has won the Hollywood Derby twice in the last three years, and the Matriarch Stakes the past two years, and he has nominated runners to both Grade 1 races the final weekend of the meet.

Digital Age, Standard Deviation, and Valid Point all are nominated by Brown to the Hollywood Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race to be run Nov. 30. Valid Point won the Grade 1 Secretariat before suffering his first career defeat when facing elders in the Shadwell Mile last time out.

Significant Form is Brown’s lone nominee to the Matriarch, a one-mile race for older females on closing day Dec. 1 that Brown won with Off Limits in 2017 and Uni last year. Significant Form most recently won the Noble Damsel at Belmont, the same race Uni used as her final prep before last year’s Matriarch. Off Limits also won the Noble Damsel in 2017, but ran once more prior to the Matriarch.

Several trainers based in the East nominated runners to those Grade 1 races. The Hollywood Derby, which has 23 nominees, includes Kiaran McLaughlin-trained A Thread of Blue, Henley’s Joy for Mike Maker, Mr. Dumas for John Ortiz, and a pair of colts trained by Mark Casse, Osage Moon and Uncle Bull. Top local runners for that race include Kingly for Bob Baffert, Mo Forza for Peter Miller, Nolde for John Shirreffs, and Neptune’s Storm and Succeedandsurpass for Richard Baltas. Neptune’s Storm worked five furlongs on turf on Sunday in 59.80 seconds, the best time of 15 at the distance.

The Matriarch, which drew 16 nominations, is headed by Casse-trained Got Stormy, the Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up, and also includes Daddy Is a Legend for George Weaver, Juliet Foxtrot for Brad Cox, and Starship Jubilee for Kevin Attard. Top locally based nominees for the Matriarch include Toinette and Simply Breathless – both trained by Neil Drysdale – who were the one-two finishers in the Goldikova earlier this month at Santa Anita.

The turf festival encompasses seven stakes over four days, beginning with the Grade 3, $100,000 Red Carpet for older females going 1 3/8 miles on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. Siberian Iris, runner-up in the race last year, is among the 21 nominations along with Keeper Ofthe Stars and Lift Up.

The Grade 2, $200,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles on Nov. 29 drew 20 nominations, headed by Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up United as well as Arklow and Marzo. United, in his first work since the Breeders’ Cup, went five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Sunday morning at Santa Anita.

The Hollywood Derby card also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Seabiscuit at 1 1/16 miles for older horses, and the Grade 3, $100,000 Jimmy Durante at one mile for 2-year-old fillies.

Andesh, Cleopatra’s Strike, Curlin’s Honor, Majestic Eagle, Next Shares, Om, Prince Earl, Sacred Life, and True Valour are among the 19 nominated to the Seabiscuit.

The 28 Durante nominees include Alms, Been Studying Her, Croughavouke, Guitty, Overjoyed, Princesa Caroline, Quality Heat, and both Logic N Reason and Speaktomeofsummer for Christophe Clement. Been Studying Her worked five furlongs at Del Mar in 1:02 on Sunday.

The Matriarch card is supported by the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds going one mile. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Billy Batts, as well as Goliad, Hariboux, Hit the Road, Jack and Noah, Kanderel, and Irish import Last Opportunity are among the 24 nominated to that race. Last Opportunity worked a half-mile in 49.80 seconds on the turf on Sunday for his new trainer, Neil Drysdale.