Brown could train Domestic Product up to Kentucky Derby

Trainer Chad Brown is reconsidering his plan to get one more race into Domestic Product before the Kentucky Derby.

Following his narrow victory in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 9, Brown felt that Domestic Product would benefit from having one more race before the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Upon further review, Brown said Wednesday that may not be the case. Brown said he wants to see how the horse works before making a final decision.

“The more I look at it, his last two races were good, strong races that he got a lot out of,” said Brown, also referring to Domestic Product’s runner-up finish to Hades in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 3. “He was really finishing in both races hard and I’m thinking he has the conditioning he needs. Potentially putting a race in between could flatten him. I need to see this horse work, then he’ll tell me.”

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Brown said that if Domestic Product trains up to the Derby, it’ll still be “inside 60 days, which is not bad historically for my horses,” he said.

Over the last five years, Brown is 13 for 47 (28 percent) in graded stakes with horses coming off eight-week layoffs. He is 60 percent in the money with such horses.

Brown did confirm Top Conor, an impressive maiden winner at Gulfstream on Feb. 17, for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial. While he hasn’t completely ruled out the Kentucky Derby as a consideration, Brown said Top Conor may be more of a Preakness horse. Brown won the Preakness with Cloud Computing (2017) and Early Voting (2022) with lightly raced horses who participated in the Wood.

“That’s really the reason,” Brown said. “If he were to win the Wood, that’s a conversation me and the owner [Sean Flanagan] would have about what we think is the best move for the horse. He’s training super, but that’s really why I’m heading towards New York. It’s a better path to the Preakness than running him down in South Florida.”

Deterministic likely for Wood

Deterministic, the Grade 3 Gotham winner on March 3, is expected to return to New York for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 6, trainer Christophe Clement said Wednesday.

Clement indicated that he was planning to work Deterministic on Thursday at Payson Park and preferred to watch him breeze before totally committing to the Wood, but said “the Wood is the option today. Let me work him to see where I am.”

Deterministic, a son of Liam’s Map, is 2 for 2 in his career, having won a maiden race at Saratoga last August before going to the sidelines due to an ankle chip. He came off a near seven-month layoff to win the Gotham by two lengths over Just a Touch.

A preliminary list of Wood runners – before nominations close this weekend – includes Be You, Deterministic, El Grande O, Elysian Meadows, Top Conor, Tuscan Sky, and Uncle Heavy.

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