Hill Road transferred to Chad Brown's barn

Hill Road, the third-place finisher behind Citizen Bull and Gaming in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is now with trainer Chad Brown and had his first workout Sunday at Payson Park, going three furlongs in 37 seconds.

While Hill Road is a longshot to make the Kentucky Derby, Brown said it’s not impossible for him to enter a different Triple Crown race – perhaps the Belmont Stakes on June 7 at Saratoga.

Hill Road, a Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road owned by Amo Racing, raced last year for trainer Adrian Murray. He made his first two starts in Ireland on turf, winning a maiden race at Leopardstown in August and finishing seventh in the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National at The Curragh in September.

Shifting to dirt for the Juvenile and sent off at odds of 61-1, Hill Road rallied from last under Umberto Rispoli to finish third, beaten 4 3/4 lengths by Citizen Bull.

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Brown said the horse was given a checkup following the Juvenile, which revealed that the horse was undergoing some bone remodeling.

“He’s over that and has been transferred to me, a nice addition to the crop,” Brown said. “He’s made it all the way back for one work. We’re still getting to know the horse. He was one of the few horses to close all weekend [at the Breeders’ Cup].

“We’ll see where he takes us,” Brown added. “He’s behind the eight-ball in terms of the Derby, but he’s not out of the question for the Triple Crown if he stays healthy and on a regular schedule.”

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