Brown has them coming and going as he seeks eighth Athenia win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Chad Brown has won six of the last seven runnings of the Athenia Stakes and the biggest reason he hasn’t won seven straight is he didn’t have a starter in 2019.

Friday, at Aqueduct, Brown will send out a trio of contenders in quest of an eighth victory in the $150,000 Athenia, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for females he also won in 2013. The Athenia was originally on the calendar for last Saturday, but wasn’t carded due to a forecast of rain.

Dry, nearly summerlike conditions, are expected Friday as the New York metropolitan area gets a respite from Mother Nature’s wrath.

The trio of Technical Analysis, Beaute Cachee, and Fluffy Socks give Brown a speed horse, a stalker, and a closer in a competitive nine-horse field for the Athenia, one of three stakes on Friday’s nine-race card.

Technical Analysis was too headstrong in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga when she dueled early with longshot Sister Bridget, backed off, and then made a middle move toward the front and ended up fifth, beaten one length be Evvie Jets.

“Total disaster,” Brown said. “She got hooked in a speed duel and ran with a horse that was a big longshot.”

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Fluffy Socks, beaten a head in the Ballston Spa, came from well off the pace with her typical late run that has seen her finish first or second in 13 of 20 career starts. In her last nine starts, Fluffy Socks has five seconds. She was beaten less than a length in each of them.

Beaute Cachee was rained out of an allowance race at Saratoga and was re-routed to Monmouth Park and the Violet Stakes, which she won by 3 1/4 lengths despite being a bit rank early on.

Miss Dracarys, trained by Neil Drysdale, has only run twice this year, winning the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on Aug. 20 at Woodbine off a nine-month layoff, then turning around in three weeks to finish last in the Grade 2 Canadian.

“We ran her back a bit quick and she didn’t like it,” Drysdale said. “We were aiming for the E.P. Taylor and it didn’t work out. She likes Aqueduct.”

Miss Dracarys is 3 for 4 with a second at Aqueduct.

The wild card in the field is Evidencias, a 4-year-old Brazilian-bred daughter of Drosselmeyer who is making her North American debut and first start since Jan. 25. She goes out for trainer Christophe Clement, a four-time Athenia winner.

“She’s adapted well. We gave her plenty of time. She looks good,” Clement said. “Her last work was a good work.”

Kendrick Carmouche rides from post 7.

Sparkle Blue, trained by Graham Motion, won a listed stakes July 15 at Laurel Park, then finished second in the Grade 3 Ladies Turf on Sept. 9 at Kentucky Downs.

Eight Danzas, Favor, and Uncorked, the latter an Australian-bred who is 2-2-1 in five starts in the United States for trainer Brittany Russell, complete the field.

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