Public Sector's Hall of Fame win the sixth for Brown, who scores 2,000th career victory in nightcap
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Chad Brown’s roster of winners in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes is long and impressive. He added a sixth name to the list on Friday as Public Sector rallied along the inside under Flavien Prat to win the $200,000 turf stakes for 3-year-olds by one length.
That was career victory 1,999 for Brown, who would reach the 2,000-win plateau in Friday’s nightcap, a maiden $40,000 claiming race, with Digital Software.
Brown, following the Hall of Fame victory, noted the accomplishment could come on the same day that Steve Asmussen tied Dale Baird’s all-time record for wins by a trainer with 9,445 and the day Todd Pletcher was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
“Those two guys deserve all of the attention today,” Brown said.
Kept within two lengths of the pace while saving ground along the inside under Prat, Public Sector shot through an opening along the rail and outfinished Annex, under Junior Alvarado, to win by a length. It was a 1 1/4 lengths back to In Effect. Next, Easy Time, and Wolfie’s Dynaghost completed the order of finish.
Original was taken up and then pulled up in midstretch by jockey Luis Saez after Annex “cut in front of Original and had that foe clip his heels” according to the official chart of the race. The horse seemed to be okay.
While the stewards did light the inquiry sign, they took no action. Braulio Baeza Jr., the New York State Gaming Commission steward, would not explain the rationale for the decision not to take action against Annex or Easy Time, who appeared to come out a path in the stretch. Baeza would only say “in our opinion it didn’t cost him a position. If we found somebody at fault, we would have taken somebody down.”
Baeza said the stewards will meet with the riders Saturday morning to review films of the race.
According to Pat McKenna, NYRA’s director of communications, “in the opinion of the stewards, the incident in the vicinity of the eighth pole did not affect the pari-mutuel payout. As such, no action was taken.”
For Brown, Public Sector joined a list of Hall of Fame Stakes winners that includes Raging Bull (2018); Bricks and Mortar (2017), who went on to be crowned the 2019 Horse of the Year; Camelot Kitten (2016); Takeover Target (2015); and Big Blue Kitten (2011).
It was the first stakes win for Public Sector, who finished second in the Grade 2 Pilgrim at 2 and was beaten a head last out by Original in the $100,000 Manila Stakes at Belmont Park. Public Sector’s only poor performance came in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf where he finished 12th and emerged from the race sick, according to Brown.
Public Sector was second to last in the Manila and couldn’t close the necessary ground to get up.
Friday, Brown said “the plan was to leave out of there with intention . . . and make them go.” It didn’t necessarily work out that way as Public Sector was fourth, 3 1/2 lengths off the pace early behind a modest half of 47.56 seconds set by Next.
Turning into the stretch, Prat saw Next drift out and he rallied Public Sector along the fence to victory.
“I thought I was going to be able to go around the leader but then I saw the leader came out so I dropped in and I had room to go,” Prat said.
Public Sector, a son of Kingman, covered the one mile in 1:35.03 and returned $3.90 as the favorite.