Brown works eight turfers, including five for Saturday stakes at Belmont

ELMONT, N.Y. – Two by two by two by two they went, one pair starting off slowly just as another was finishing fast, millions and millions of dollars of Chad Brown-trained horseflesh working on the Belmont Park turf course Sunday morning.

Five of the eight horses race here Saturday on the Belmont Stakes undercard: Rushing Fall starts in the Grade 1 Just A Game, and four others – Bricks and Mortar, Olympico, Raging Bull, and Robert Bruce – go in the Grade 1 Manhattan.

Sistercharlie remains on course to make her 5-year-old debut in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga, Brown said Sunday, just before her 3-year-old half-brother, Sottsass – owned, like Sistercharlie, by Peter Brant – won the French Derby at Chantilly. Brown said Sistercharlie’s training, including her Sunday breeze, has impressed him. “She’s back,” he said.

Digital Age, the unbeaten winner of the American Turf at Churchill last out, is working toward the Belmont Derby.

Instilled Regard, off a disappointing dirt try in the Alysheba Stakes, will return to turf in the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park.

“We’re going to try him in a three-turn race and hope for firm ground,” Brown said.

Rushing Fall and Sistercharlie worked in company, going a half-mile in 50.44 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Bricks and Mortar worked a half with Raging Bull, both timed in 50.06, while Robert Bruce and Instilled Regard went five furlongs in 1:00.87, and Olympico, paired for the second week with Digital Age, was timed in 1:03.36 for five furlongs.

Turf works were conducted on the inner course around cones set up to keep the horses several paths from the inside rail.

Brown is making some changes with the Manhattan horses. Jose Ortiz was aboard Robert Bruce during the Sunday work and has the mount in the Manhattan, his first time on the Chilean import in a race.

Raging Bull will race in blinkers for the first time and be ridden by Javier Castellano, who replaces Joel Rosario. Raging Bull won three stakes in 2018 season, including a campaign-ending victory in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, but after fourth-place finishes April 12 in the Maker’s 46 Mile and May 4 in the Turf Classic, Raging Bull struck his trainer as a colt ready for an equipment change.

“He worked with blinkers today, worked well, and I’m going to add those for the race,” Brown said. “Even last year, he was on and off the bridle despite his good record, and this is something we always thought about because of that. Since he hasn’t performed like we hoped the first two times this year, now’s the time to try it.”

Brown won the 2015 Manhattan with Slumber, who added blinkers for that start.

None of Brown’s turf workers Sunday went any better than Olympico, a powder keg from start to finish and well held across the wire to allow Digital Age to cross the line on even terms. A 4-year-old French import, Olympico relished soft going in winning the Fort Marcy Stakes here May 4 by three lengths, a race in which the firm-turf loving Robert Bruce finished fifth as the favorite. But Brown is hoping Olympico, who had moderate overseas form, has blossomed in the U.S. and didn’t merely capitalize on course conditions last month.

“He worked a half-mile last week and was equally if not more impressive than today; I mean completely bent head, ears up, looking for more,” said Brown.