Regal Glory will run with the boys in Fourstardave, Brown confirms

ELMONT, N.Y. - Though Bleecker Street is undefeated, Regal Glory is the recognized leader of not only trainer Chad Brown’s roster of older female turf runners, but the division as a whole.

Regal Glory, already a two-time Grade 1 winner this year, will get a chance to tighten her grip on the division by taking on the boys in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga on Aug. 13, Brown confirmed over the weekend.

“She’s in career form, doing so well, I think it’s time to test her limits,” Brown said. “She’s the clear leader of the division for an Eclipse Award. I’m not looking to avoid any tall orders for her. At her age, she’s done so much, why not provide her the opportunity - she’s earned it - to show what she can do.”

Regal Glory was among an impressive roster of stakes performers who returned to the worktab over the weekend for Brown as he gears up for the second half of the year - and Saratoga - with quite the stable.

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On Sunday, Regal Glory worked a half-mile in company with In Italian, another talented, though not as accomplished, female turf runner for Brown. In Italian, an aggressive type, worked under Irad Ortiz Jr. and was determined to stay in front of Regal Glory, under Jose Ortiz, in the late stages of a half-mile workout that Daily Racing Form timed in 49.72 seconds.

Brown said a lack of available potential workmates for Regal Glory on Sunday led him to work her with In Italian.

“It’s a match-up that won’t be happening every week,” Brown said. “In Italian is a little aggressive, but it was executed the way I wanted. Regal Glory was supposed to lay off her, never go by her because it could be a combustible situation.”

In Italian, third to Regal Glory in the Just a Game, does not have a specific target picked out, though Brown said the Grade 1 Diana on July 23 at 1 1/8 miles is among the races that are in play.

“She can get a mile and an eighth, it all depends on the pace scenario,” Brown said.

Brown, who has won the Diana five of the last six years, is pointing Bleecker Street and Rougir to the Diana. Bleecker Street improved her career record to 7 for 7 with a victory in the newly minted Grade 1 New York Stakes on June 10. Rougir finished third as the favorite in that spot, presumably not caring for a course that had some give in it.

Last Friday, Bleecker Street worked a half-mile in 51.41 seconds in company with the 3-year-old filly Consumer Spending, who is scheduled to run in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on July 9.

Technical Analysis, winner of the Grade 3 Gallorette on May 21, is another possibility for the Diana. She worked five furlongs in 1:02.41 on Sunday over Belmont’s turf.

Tribhuvan, who upset the Grade 1 Manhattan at 19-1, and Adhamo, the Manhattan runner-up, are both pointing to the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park on July 23. Tribhuvan won the UN last year.

On Sunday, Adhamo worked a half-mile in 49.80 seconds over the Belmont turf course in company with Tokyo Gold, who stayed in the U.S. and been moved to Brown following his last-place in the Manhattan.

Brown’s trio of Grade 1-winning dirt 3-year-olds also worked over the weekend. Jack Christopher, who ran his record to 4 for 4 with his victory in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, worked a half-mile Saturday in 49.49 seconds. He is on target for the Grade 1 Haskell on July 23.

Early Voting, the Preakness winner, and Zandon, the Blue Grass winner and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher, worked on Sunday. Early Voting went five furlongs in 1:01.05 in company with Highly Motivated. Brown said he is still figuring out whether to run him in the Haskell or the Jim Dandy. Zandon, who worked a half-mile in 49.41 seconds by himself, will run in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 30.

Brown will try to add Nabokov to his roster of 3-year-old stakes winners by running the recent maiden winner in the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer Stakes on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Brown over the weekend added two more stakes wins to his tally - which now stands at 31 on the year - when Gerrymander won the Grade 2 Mother Goose and Eminent Victor took the listed Wild Applause Stakes.

Gerrymander earned a shot at the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga on Aug. 20. Brown said it is unlikely he runs the filly before then.

Brown noted that Gerrymander had entrapped her epiglottis while training in the winter which delayed her return to the races.

“Dr. John Madison in Ocala got her in right away, fixed it, we rehabbed her and got her back on track,” Brown said.

Brown said he made a mistake running her in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs on May 6. Gerrymander finished sixth in the Eight Belles.

“She hated the track, she hated the trip, she hated the seven furlongs, it was really bad placement by me,” Brown said. “She ran yesterday how she trained. This filly trained very good.”

Gerrymander, who beat Nest in the one-mile Tempted Stakes last fall at Belmont, earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for her victory.

Eminent Victor returned from a nine-month layoff to win the Wild Applause Stakes by three lengths. Brown said he would choose between the Saratoga Oaks going 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 7 or the Grade 2 Lake Placid on Aug. 20 for Eminent Victor’s next start.

Eminent Victor, who became the first stakes winner for the sire Mr. Z, earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory.

The two wins on Saturday gave Brown 39 wins at the Belmont meet. While he will almost certainly win his seventh straight Belmont spring/summer title, Brown could eclipse trainer David Jacobson’s spring/summer meet record of 44 wins set in 2013 when the meet was 56 days. This year’s spring meet is 44 days.