You're to Blame kicks off stakes weekend for Brown

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Before he sends out his trio of graded stakes-winning 3-year-olds in stakes here and at Monmouth Park this weekend, trainer Chad Brown has tabbed You’re to Blame to represent the stable in Friday’s $100,000 Curlin Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.

Brown has won two of the first eight runnings of the 1 1/8-mile Curlin, including last year when he ran 1-2 with Connect and Gift Box.

You’re to Blame is not in the category of Preakness winner Cloud Computing, whom Brown is running in Saturday’s Jim Dandy, or Timeline and Practical Joke, whom Brown is running in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth on Sunday. Still, Brown appears to have found a good spot for You’re to Blame, who faces just one stakes winner – Hemsworth – in this field of seven.

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You’re to Blame is coming off a second-place finish to West Coast in the 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer Stakes on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes. In that race, You’re to Blame dropped back to last after breaking inward and bumping with West Coast. You’re to Blame passed six horses in the last three-sixteenths of a mile, and though he was beaten 3 3/4 lengths by West Coast, he galloped out past him.

“Since we got the horse back to one turn the horse seems to have regained his form,” Brown said. “However, this is a good opportunity to try him once again around two turns now that he’s matured a bit and we figured out a few things about the horse.”

Javier Castellano rides You’re to Blame from the outside post in the seven-horse field.

Outplay finished third in the Easy Goer and will face You’re to Blame again on Friday. In the Easy Goer, You’re to Blame finished 2 3/4 lengths in front of Outplay. Prior to that, Outplay had won his previous two starts.

“I think he ran very well considering how hot the pace was in the Easy Goer,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who also sends out Thirst for Victory. “He’s had success around two turns before. I think the dynamic of this race he could potentially be the speed of the race. We’ll let him run into the first turn and take it from there.”

KEY CONTENDERS

You’re to Blame, by Distorted Humor
Last 3 Beyers: 93-88-81

◗ Earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure running second in the Easy Goer to West Coast, who came back to win the Los Alamitos Derby.

“The horse has matured a lot the last 60 days physically,” Brown said.

Small Bear, by Macho Uno
Last 3 Beyers: 91-78-88

◗ He is the lone member of this field to have won at the distance, an emphatic 6 3/4-length victory in a one-turn, off-the-turf race at Belmont last month.

◗ Beat Outplay in a two-turn maiden race run in the mud over Aqueduct’s inner track in December.

Hemsworth, by Bernardini
Last 3 Beyers: 64-83-67

◗ Has yet to run back to his 9 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Nashua at Aqueduct last November.

◗ Was eased in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 7, and trainer Tom Albertrani said the horse came out of the race sick.

◗ He was a well-beaten third in an allowance race at Belmont in April.

“His race back at Belmont wasn’t too bad,” Albertrani said. “I expected he might need the race and expect to see some improvement this time.”