Sistercharlie giving Brown confidence headed into Breeders' Cup
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown knows anything can happen in a horse race, but he can’t help but be confident in Sistercharlie’s chances to repeat in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.
Sistercharlie won her sixth consecutive Grade 1 stakes on Sunday, taking the $500,000 Flower Bowl by one length over Mrs. Sippy. Sistercharlie added the Flower Bowl to victories in the Grade 1 Diana and Grade 1 Beverly D. earlier in the year. Last year, she completed her championship season with victories in those two races and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs.
“We’re pretty confident going in as long as she stays healthy,” Brown said. “Remarkable horse, very consistent in the morning and afternoon. Having these Breeders’ Cup races, we know all too well how many factors there are: post position, weather, trip . . . we have to get all the way over to the other side of the country safely. There’s a lot of stuff that still has to be done. Fortunately, we have a remarkable horse to work with and she makes our job a lot easier.”
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Though the Belmont turf course was labeled firm Sunday, it was definitely loose on top from rain Thursday and Friday. Sistercharlie seems to handle firm ground – the type she figures to get at Santa Anita – better.
Sistercharlie earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for the Flower Bowl, ending a string of seven straight triple-digit figures she earned dating back to her victory in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley in April 2018.
Brown said that Thais, who is used as a pacemaker for Sistercharlie and who finished third in the Flower Bowl, would also point to the Filly and Mare Turf if she can get in.
Mrs. Sippy, who made a nice run at Sistercharlie in the stretch of the Flower Bowl, will also point to the Filly and Mare Turf, according to trainer Graham Motion.
“She got within a length of her here. I think you have to consider taking a shot,” Motion said.
