Brown runs pair in quest for third straight Intercontinental

ELMONT, N.Y. – Plenty of New York turf stakes bear trainer Chad Brown’s fingerprints, the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental among them. Three times in the race’s seven-year history Brown has saddled the winner, including the last two renewals, with Newspaperofrecord in 2020 and with Significant Form in 2019. Brown takes two swings Thursday at his third straight Intercontinental, with likely favorite Regal Glory and the less-accomplished Publication.

This Intercontinental, carded for seven furlongs on grass and restricted to fillies and mares, doesn’t look as tough as the last couple editions, but neither do Brown’s pair reach the level of his last two winners.

Regal Glory, 6-5 on the morning line, has won prolifically, capturing seven of her 12 starts, though when she has encountered elite competition – like Newspaperofrecord, who beat her four lengths in the 2020 Intercontinental – she’s been found somewhat wanting. Regal Glory, the mount of Jose Ortiz, comes into Thursday’s contest a winner of her last two starts, both at one mile: the Ladies Turf last September at Kentucky Downs and the $96,000 Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct. Both races came on courses rated “good,” and in eight starts on wet ground, Regal Glory has finished first or second.

“Clearly she appreciates some give in the ground – might even prefer it,” said Brown. Asked if seven furlongs might be on the short side for Regal Glory, Brown demurred. “Seven furlongs to a mile, that’s her.”

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Publication, 10-1 on the line, makes her fourth start, trying a graded race after wins over a soft bunch of maidens last July and a much stronger showing in her April 24 long-layoff comeback.

“I think she’s pretty talented,” Brown said. “This distance is probably good for her. She hasn’t run much and there’s room for improvement. She just hasn’t been able to string along races consecutively.”

A Juddmonte Farms homebred, Publication is out of Filimbi, second in the Grade 1 Just a Game on the 2015 Belmont Stakes undercard.

Six-year-old Sweet Bye and Bye, second choice at 2-1 on the morning line, makes her third start under the care of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and exits one of the best performances of her 20-start career, a decisive victory March 27 over a solid bunch in the $100,000 Sand Springs at Gulfstream. Before that two-turn, 1 1/16-mile score, Joseph thought Sweet Bye and Bye might better suit races at seven furlongs or a one-turn mile.

“Now I’m not sure what’s best for her. She had no trouble with the distance last time,” said Joseph.

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Sweet Bye and Bye works well and has trained with verve into the Intercontinental, but Joseph worries about course conditions. “She’s a heavy filly. Soft turf could be a concern,” he said.

Change of Control shipped here from Churchill Downs, as will jockey Colby Hernandez, and fits the spot as well as any entrant if she can transfer her shorter sprint form to seven furlongs. She raced ineffectively over 6 1/2 furlongs last year at Kentucky Downs, but trainer Michelle Lovell believes it was an unusual European-style course that compromised Change of Control.

“I don’t think it was the distance that beat her. She looks like she can pretty easily be closer to the pace in this race. She’s run well on softer ground,” Lovell said.

If the race were moved to dirt, main-track-only Aunt Kat would look formidable. Trained by Bill Mott, Aunt Kat notched a pair of eye-catching open-lengths wins over maidens and allowance horses this spring in 6 1/2-furlong races at Aqueduct and here at Belmont.