Brown to train Practical Joke, Lady Eli up to Breeders' Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. – Barring a change of heart, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday he would train Practical Joke up to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Lady Eli to the Filly and Mare Turf.

Brown said he had considered Practical Joke for Saturday’s Grade 2 Kelso, a one-turn mile at Belmont, but opted to simply await the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3.

“We looked at the Kelso a little bit,” Brown said. “I just felt like the horse has had three races close together, he’s doing really well. As of right now I’m leaning toward training him to the race.”

Practical Joke ran three times in seven weeks, sandwiching wins in the Grade 2 Dwyer and Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens around a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Haskell.

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Likewise, Brown had considered running Lady Eli in the Flower Bowl here Oct. 8, but now also is likely to just train her up to the Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

“I’m leaning strongly toward training her to the Breeders’ Cup,” Brown said. “She’s doing great. I’m confident she can handle that; it may even work in her favor being fresher.”

On Sunday, Lady Eli worked a half-mile in 49 seconds over Belmont’s main track in company with Ack Naughty.

Brown is pointing Dacita and Grand Jete to the Flower Bowl. He also is planning on sending Fourstar Crook and Rainha Da Bateria to Santa Anita for the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive on Sept. 30.

Rubilinda, winner of the Christiecat Stakes on opening day of this meet, will be pointed to the $200,000 Pebbles on Oct. 14 at Belmont.

Brown is not sure what he will do next with Annals of Time, last December’s Grade 1 Hollywood Derby winner, who came off a nine-month layoff to win a turf allowance race here Saturday. Brown has not discounted the idea of trying him in the Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 7 at Keeneland or attempting to get him into the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

“He showed he could get up at a mile, albeit in an allowance race here, but his time was good; it was impressive given his lengthy layoff,” Brown said. “I’ll try to keep him at a mile. I don’t know if bringing him back in the race at Keeneland is too much or if I could train him up to the Breeders’ Cup Mile potentially, I mean I think he’s that good.”

Brown did say that he would likely send recent maiden winners Voting Control and Rushing Falls to Keeneland for their 2-year-old turf stakes.

Voting Control, a half-length debut winner here Sept. 10, would run in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bourbon on Oct. 8, while Rushing Fall, a 1 1/4-length winner here Saturday, would start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Jessamine on Oct. 11.

Significant Form, who was disqualified from a win at Saratoga on Aug. 27, is pointing to the Miss Grillo here Oct 1.

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No plan for Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing, the Preakness winner, who struggled in two stakes starts at Saratoga this summer, returned to the work tab Saturday, breezing a half-mile in 48.78 over Belmont’s main track.

Brown said he had no set plan for Cloud Computing, who finished eighth in the Travers after finishing fifth in the Jim Dandy.

“I just wanted to get his first work back and evaluate him. I thought he worked really well,” Brown said. “We’ll see how he does next week. Right now, he’s staying in training, but I don’t have any race picked out.”