Brown sees bright future for 2-year-olds Founder, Highly Motivated
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has an arsenal of talented 2-year-olds to draw from here this summer, among the most noteworthy being Founder and Highly Motivated, who finished first and second in a field filled with highly touted juveniles in Saturday’s sixth race.
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Founder rallied from last to a neck decision over Highly Motivated, winning at first asking despite ducking out suddenly under Jose Ortiz to lose momentum while in the midst of his rally near midstretch. A son of first year sire Upstart, Founder earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Founder ran great – they both did,” Brown said. “The horses ran just the way we thought. Highly Motivated looks like a true sprinter with a lot of quality. We figured Founder would be coming from behind. Six furlongs is as short as he’ll ever want to run. I told Jose in the paddock he might get there, he might not. Both horses definitely have a bright future.”
Brown said the incident at midstretch occurred when Ortiz struck Founder once with a left-hand stick.
“One crack of the left whip and he jumped five lanes,” Brown said. “Which doesn’t surprise me since we don’t use the stick in the morning. We never hit the horses during their works.”
Brown said plans for both horses are uncertain.
“Highly Motivated, we’ll try to break his maiden next,” Brown said. “I’ll talk to the owners about Founder, although the obvious thing to do with a 2-year-old who breaks his maiden nicely at Saratoga is to think about the Champagne, which is on the radar. The Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland might not be a bad idea, either. We’ll just have to wait and see how he’s doing.”