Brown loaded for spring meet

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chad Brown is very familiar with Keeneland, not only through his visits to the horse sales for his deep-pocketed clients but also in his work as an assistant to the late Bobby Frankel and with his own horses since he opened a public stable more than seven years ago.

Brown has 21 career wins at Keeneland, but he never has had deeper representation than he will have this spring. Brown has a full barn in the Keeneland stable area and will be active throughout this meet and into Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs.

“I’ll be spending quite a bit of time in Kentucky the next month,” Brown said this week from Florida. “We’ve sent a pretty good group there.”

Brown has horses in three races both Friday and Saturday, including Night Prowler in the Transylvania Stakes on Friday and the entry of Big Blue Kitten and Hyper in a Saturday turf allowance. His most noteworthy start of the meet surely will come in the Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes on April 12, when the undefeated Lady Eli makes her 3-year-old debut as the heavy favorite. The filly shipped here Wednesday from her winter base at the Palm Meadows training center.

“She had another terrific work before leaving out of here,” Brown said. “She’s doing just fabulous. We’re really looking forward to getting her started on the year.”

Another Brown standout is Stephanie’s Kitten, the $2.7 million earner who is nominated to the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley next Saturday but will instead wait to run against male rivals in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on the Derby undercard at Churchill.

Brown, 36, was an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding trainer in 2014 but fell short in the vote to Todd Pletcher. Brown won seven Grade 1 races, including three at the Breeders’ Cup, and his stable earnings were nearly $15.4 million, a career high.

“I haven’t really commented publicly on it, but I will say [not winning] was a little disappointing, considering the year we had,” said Brown. “My staff and I just put our heads down and got back to work. There are a lot of very good things going on in my business, with the employees, the owners, and the horses. At the end of the day, it would’ve been a terrific honor, but it doesn’t change the great year we had nor the great one we’re hoping to have this year. Turn the page, as they say.”