Create a Dream propels Brown, Castellano to share of meet titles by winning Chelsey Flower
ELMONT, N.Y. - Create a Dream was slow from the gate and finished fourth early this month while making her United States debut and her first start for trainer Chad Brown in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo. On Sunday at Belmont Park, she ran a more complete race to win the $100,000 Chelsey Flower, a one-mile turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
The Chelsey Flower was the second-to-last race of the Belmont fall meet and the win tied Brown and jockey Javier Castellano, who rode Create a Dream, with Rudy Rodriguez and Irad Ortiz Jr, respectively, for leading trainer and jockey.
When Ortiz failed to win the final race on the card, the results became official. Brown and Rodriguez won 30 races apiece at the fall meet and Castellano and Ortiz each won 48 races.
Create a Dream tracked the pace from post 12. Castellano bided his time until nearing the stretch and then sent her to challenge outside the leaders. She looked like a winner in upper stretch, and then Ortiz looked like he might win aboard Noble Ready. But Create a Dream kept to her task and scored by 1 1/2 lengths.
Beat the Benchmark, also trained by Brown, was up to finish second by a neck over Noble Ready.
Create a Dream, who made her first two career starts at Ascot in England for Wesley Ward, paid $6.60 to win as the favorite in the 12-horse field. She was timed in 1:37.52 over “good” turf. Create a Dream is now 2 for 4.