Robert Bruce leads Brown turf workers on Monday

ELMONT, N.Y. – A small portion of trainer Chad Brown’s turf arsenal got back on the grass for workouts Monday at Belmont Park, led by Robert Bruce, the Arlington Million winner who is preparing for a start in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic here on Sept. 29.

Robert Bruce beat stablemate Almanaar by a half-length in the Million, and he worked in company with that horse Monday. The pair went five furlongs in 1:02.56 over a course that could have been labeled anywhere from good to yielding. The pair came home in 24.05 seconds for their final quarter.

Though Brown was pleased enough with the work, he did say that for Robert Bruce’s races, “I would prefer him on firm ground.”

Robert Bruce is 8 for 9 lifetime, 2 for 3 since moving into Brown’s barn earlier this year.

Almanaar won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf in 2017, and has run only twice since, winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Belmont in June before the 1 1/4-mile Million. He will shorten up in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 6.

“A mile is a tick short,” Brown said. “He’s got a really good turn of foot, so he might be able to do it.”

Also working on turf for Brown Monday were A Raving Beauty and Off Limits, both of whom are being pointed to the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland on Oct. 6. That pair went five furlongs together in 1:01.09.

A Raving Beauty, who won the Grade 1 Just a Game here in June, was beaten three-quarters of a length by stablemate Sistercharlie with trouble in the Grade 1 Diana, and then finished fourth to stablemate Quidura in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga with no apparent excuse.

“I have no idea what happened to her,” Brown said about the poor result in the Ballston Spa. “She always pulls a little bit, I don’t make a big deal about that because that’s her. She got a nice pocket trip and just didn’t fire.”

On Sunday, on the dirt, Uni and Newspaperofrecord worked a half-mile in company in 49.20 seconds.

Uni is scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel, while Newspaperofrecord, an ultra-impressive debut winner on turf at Saratoga, is likely to run next in the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo here on Sept. 30.

Rushing Fall and Pollara, a Group 3 winner in France earlier this year, worked five furlongs in 1:01.86 over the turf Monday morning. Both 3-year-old fillies are preparing for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 13.