Chad Brown first-timers score

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Chad Brown won three races over the weekend with 3-year-olds making their first start, but he said he is in no rush to push them along the Derby trail.

The winners were Lieutenant Colonel (by Colonel John) and Rare Art (by Speightstown) on Saturday, and Delightful Joy (by Tapit) on Sunday.

“Obviously there are some nice races at this time of year, but we’re always looking at the whole year,” Brown said. “I mean, we’ll look at how a race like the Swale is coming up, but I’m more about big picture.”

Rare Art is owned by the Lane’s End Racing of Will Farish. Brown has had a handful of horses for Farish since last summer, most notably Ball Dancing. Ball Dancing has had five Palm Meadows breezes, including five furlongs Monday on turf in 1:00.40, since getting a breather following a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October.

◗ A marathon weekend of racing action closed out Sunday with a 24-1 upset by a 3-year-old filly named Perfect Flute, who won a 1 1/16-mile turf race in her second start, which came after being soundly defeated in a main-track sprint. Perfect Flute, a Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Bill Mott, was produced by 2001 Kentucky Oaks winner Flute and is a younger half-sister to Grade 2 winner Filimbi.

◗ Racing will be conducted here Monday because of the Presidents’ Day holiday, and the following Wednesday, Feb. 17, will be dark.

◗ There is not so much as one allowance race on a 10-race card here Thursday, when first post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

◗ Jockey Jonathan Gonzales is expected to be out about four more weeks after suffering a slight fracture of his right leg in a gate incident last week. Gonzales had been enjoying a productive meet with 12 wins.