Brown in wait-and-see mode on running Early Voting in Derby
While saying he is still leaning toward running Early Voting in the Preakness Stakes on May 21, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday afternoon that he is not shutting the door on pivoting to the Kentucky Derby if the complexion of the race changes between now and the May 2 entry day.
Early Voting, who won the Grade 3 Withers and was second to Mo Donegal in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 9, has enough points to make it into the Kentucky Derby field of 20. Brown said late last week that if he was going to run in the Derby, he wanted to ship Early Voting to Louisville on Monday in time to get in a weekend work over the Churchill Downs track.
On Sunday, however, Brown said he would not ship the horse to Louisville on Monday, but is leaving the door open to doing so later in the week if the complexion of the race changes. Brown declined to say which horse or horses would have to defect to sway him to run in the Derby.
“I don’t want to mislead anyone and tell you we’re definitely out and here I am entering,” Brown said Sunday afternoon after he spoke with owner Seth Klarman. “There are a couple of scenarios where I would send the horse to Louisville and that’s our right. I’m not trying to hold anyone out, I’m not trying to let anyone in; all I care about are my horses and my clients’ interests and right now I don’t have to decide. I’m going to wait, but he’s not going to Louisville [Monday], which means we’re leaning toward going to the Preakness.”
Brown said his concern about running Early Voting in the Derby is that it might be too much for the fourth start of his career.
“I just don’t feel for only his fourth start putting him in a field of 20 horses where you have no idea where you’re going to draw and you’re already sort of committed over there in Louisville is the right thing to do,” Brown said. “That’s my main reason above pace or numbers or anything like that. I’d rather be in a gate with a little more time in between races in a shorter field for the fourth start of his life.”
In 2017, Brown and Klarman skipped the Derby with Cloud Computing and he, in the fourth start of his life, won the Preakness. That year, Brown and Klarman had Practical Joke for the Derby. This year, Brown has leading contender Zandon, but that horse is owned by Jeff Drown. Klarman does not have a Derby horse.
On Saturday, Early Voting worked a half-mile in 49.97 seconds over the Belmont Park training track.
With the earlier announcement Sunday that Grade 3 Gotham Stakes winner Morello would not run in the Preakness, that allowed Pioneer of Medina into the field. Currently sitting in the 21st spot on the points list is In Due Time.