Pocket Square convincing Brown she can go longer
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown had Pocket Square pegged as a middle-distance runner when the filly first came to his barn earlier this year.
Based on the way she finished her 2 1/2-length-victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park, Brown may be changing his mind.
“When she got to the wire and on out, she seemed steady and strong and kept going,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t be afraid to try her at longer distances. Earlier in the spring, I didn’t think of her that way. Your opinion can change as they develop certainly and I’m leaning towards doing that.”
The Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island at 1 1/2 miles could be a possibility, but that race isn’t until Nov. 27 at Aqueduct.
Pocket Square’s win gave Brown his 100th career graded stakes victory at Belmont Park.
Miss Teheran, who finished second in the Athenia, bled past the wire and was vanned off.
“We just have to regroup with her and figure out her future,” Brown said.
At Monmouth Park on Saturday, Tamahere was a dominant 7 1/4-length winner of the $100,000 Violet Stakes. As she has done before, Tamahere sped to the lead, but she was a bit more settled under Jose Ferrer and won in hand. She covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.74 and earned a whopping 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
It was her first win since she took the Sands Point at Belmont last October.
“Obviously, she’s been really keen in her races and her year didn’t quite go as we planned based on how she started her North American career with an impressive off-the-pace win in the Sands Point,” Brown said. “She’s definitely had some difficulties since then [being keen] in some situations and been a little inconsistent. It was nice to let her cruise along on the lead at Monmouth.”
Brown isn’t sure what might be next for Tamahere, a 4-year-old daughter of Wootton Bassett owned by Swift Thorougbreds, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables.