Brown duo look strong off bench in Maker's Mark Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chad Brown already has won eight stakes this year, but it sure seems like he’s only getting started.

Two of Brown’s top older turf horses, Raging Bull and Sacred Life, will make their 6-year-old debuts Friday in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland, while two of his top filly-mare turf horses, Etoile and Tamahere, will get their seasons under way here Saturday in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley.

It’s all part of a grand plan for Brown, the four-time Eclipse Award winner (2016-19) whose 32 graded stakes victories led all North American trainers in 2020.

“We basically focus on April to early December with our best horses,” Brown said.

Raging Bull and Sacred Life both enter the $300,000 Maker’s Mark with more than ample morning work under them. Both French-breds were on regular breeze patterns at Brown’s winter base, Palm Meadows in Florida, prior to having final pre-race blowouts here Sunday ahead of the 33rd Maker’s Mark, which drew a field of nine as the featured ninth of 10 Friday races. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Maker’s Mark going at 5:30.

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Raging Bull (post 8, Irad Ortiz Jr.) has been regarded as one of the more explosive turf horses on the continent for more than two years, ever since he won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in late 2018. His top subsequent efforts include a victory in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last spring at Santa Anita and a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile here last fall.

“He’s a horse of proven quality,” Brown said. “I do like the way he’s coming up to this.”

Sacred Life (post 4, Javier Castellano) is less accomplished than his stablemate but does have six wins and six seconds from 16 starts. His most recent start came on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs last September, when he was fourth as the favorite in the Old Forester Turf Classic, a Grade 1 race in which Brown trainees Digital Age and Rockemperor were first and third.

Trying to prevent Brown from knocking out his first Grade 1 win of the year is some pretty solid opposition led by Get Smokin, Hit the Road, and Field Pass.

Get Smokin (post 1, Junior Alvarado), trained by Tom Bush, prevailed in one of the more competitive grass races of the entire winter in Florida, the Feb. 6 Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. In direct contrast to the Brown pair, both of them late-runners, Get Smokin is speedy and handy, so it will be up to Alvarado to leverage that tactical ability as this race unfolds.

Hit the Road (post 2, Florent Geroux) comes off a stirring triumph for trainer Dan Blacker in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile last month at Santa Anita, making the 4-year-old colt perfect in two stakes this year, both of them equating to 99 Beyer Speed Figures.

Field Pass (post 9, Joel Rosario), a gray Maryland-bred colt, won five stakes last year at 3 and also figures to return sharp after getting a short break, having been worked steadily by trainer Mike Maker at Palm Meadows in recent weeks.

Rosario, remarkably, wasted very little time in equaling the Keeneland record for most stakes wins at a spring meet, having accounted for six stakes on the opening two-day weekend. His next stakes win will break the tie with Jerry Bailey (1999) and Castellano (2016).

Rounding out the Maker’s Mark lineup are a quartet of capable longer-priced runners – Somelikeithotbrown, Darain, Ride a Comet, and Flying Scotsman.

Somelikeithotbrown (post 3, John Velazquez), also trained by Maker, earned triple-digit Beyers in four of his last six starts and also is returning from a layoff of note.

The Maker’s Mark is expected to be run amid sunshine and a high of 77. Saturday won’t be nearly as nice, given the forecast for a 90 percent chance of rain and a high of 66. The five-day week ends Sunday.

Keeneland continues to limit ontrack attendance at roughly half capacity because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. All pre-purchased ticketing, including general admission, has been sold out for Friday and Saturday. There is no “walk up” gate.

Big field for Limestone

Wesley Ward, who won four stakes on opening weekend, will look to add to that total when sending out the uncoupled Stonestreet Stables duo of Carimba (post 3, Irad Ortiz Jr.) and Campanelle (post 8, Rosario) in the top supporting event Friday, the $100,000 Limestone Turf Sprint for 3-year-old fillies (race 7).

Either Ward filly looks entirely capable in the 5 1/2-furlong Limestone, as do a handful of their challengers, including New Boss, Tobys Heart, Goin’ Good, Alda, and Navratilova. It’s arguably the deepest race on a program that also includes three allowances (races 5, 6, 8) and three maiden-specials (races 2, 3, 10).

The Limestone leads off a 50-cent late pick four (races 7-10) with a $200,000 pool guarantee.