Brown's trio tough to separate in Distaff Turf Mile

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It comes as no surprise that trainer Chad Brown, longtime king of the North American filly and mare turf-route division, has a presence in Saturday’s Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs. Brown has won the last three renewals of this race.

Also unsurprising is the fact bettors must figure out which Brown is the right Brown. Eleven fillies and mares were entered in the $750,000 Distaff Turf Mile, three trained by Brown: Chili Flag, Delahaye, and Coppice.

Two other horses, Ag Bullet and Heavenly Sunday, were cross-entered in Friday stakes races. Ag Bullet will start in the Distaff Turf Mile, but Heavenly Sunday will be scratched.

Brown has run multiple horses in each of the last three editions of this race, and each time, his winners were the shortest price among them. That does not always happen. Brown had four last month in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley, won by Beaute Cachee at 25-1.

Frankie Dettori piloted French import Beaute Cachee, but this time, Dettori rides English import Coppice and Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on the French-bred Chili Flag.

Coppice is 5-1 on the track’s morning line but will be a lower price than that if Brown’s opinion, at least the publicly stated one, has gotten around.

“This filly’s got some turn of foot,” Brown said. “I’ve been extremely impressed with her works. If she finds her stride, relaxes, settles into a nice spot – and she handles the ground – the turn of foot is there.”

Coppice is a Juddmonte Farms homebred, as was Whitebeam, who came to Brown from England with a less impressive résumé than Coppice and won the Grade 1 Diana last summer.

Coppice prefers firmer footing, which she got beating 28 rivals in the listed Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Given a chance in the Group 1 Falmouth, Coppice caught a Newmarket course deemed “good” but was clearly softer and slower. The filly didn’t handle the going, but when she did get her ground last October in the Group 1 Sun Chariot, she ran into the mighty Inspiral, finishing a creditable fourth. Dettori has ridden her twice, winning both times.

Dettori will take a hold of Coppice and hunt for position from an outside post while Delahaye goes forward. Delahaye won her stakes debut, a lesser race than this March 23 at Fair Grounds, by three-quarters of a length, though jockey Tyler Gaffalione said she idled after making the lead. Brown considered running Delahaye in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty on Friday’s Kentucky Oaks undercard.

Chili Flag looks like a lesser version of Beaute Cachee, the Jenny Wiley winner. The 5-year-old has steadily improved through her last several starts and had a less-than-ideal trip finishing a competitive sixth in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf. Winning the Grade 3 Honey Fox last out, Chili Flag blasted her final quarter-mile in 22.42 seconds.

“She’s campaigned for most improved in my female division,” Brown said. “I always thought she was going to be a solid horse; now I’m thinking she could win a real race. Her turn of foot; she just keeps improving.”

Evvie Jets, trained in New York by Mertkan Kantarmaci, had her year of improvement in 2023, winning the Grade 2 Ballston Spa and capping her campaign with a fine third behind two Brown-trained horses in the Grade 1 First Lady. She starts for the first time in nearly seven months and might have rust to shake off.

Not So Close figures to lead the Distaff Turf Mile. Trainer Richard Baltas said he’d be thrilled if rail-drawn, stretch-out sprinter Ag Bullet sits in the pocket if another pace player goes with Not So Close. A fast pace is what Graham Motion, trainer of Mission of Joy, believes could help his filly drop in from her wide draw and take a decent position. Mission of Joy finished third in the Edgewood here a year ago and is set to improve in her second start of 2024.

“She didn’t have the best trip last time in the Pegasus, and I was kind of running her on minimum work there,” Motion said.

Walkathon finished right with Chili Flag in the Honey Fox and stands a stronger chance than Cairo Consort, Infinite Diamond, and, even more so, Ascendancy.

All three Browns are ascendant: One probably wins.

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