Serve the King Eyes Graded Stakes Win in Red Smith

Back in 2017, trainer Chad Brown and bloodstock agent Mike Ryan made an astute decision to travel across the Atlantic Ocean and attend Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

They came away with about a dozen yearlings for owners Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables and Peter Brant who have proven to be the kind of gifts that keep on giving.

From that group, they bought Newspaperofrecord for Klaravich who won the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) and earned $1.1 million. Two years later, Digital Age  also became a grade 1 winner for Klaravich and earned $1.2 million.

Beyond that, there was also a grade 3 winner and stallion in Demarchelier   for Brant and a stakes winner in Klaravich's Value Proposition , explaining why an increasing number of Americans have been traveling to the Newmarket sale and about 50 yearlings were bought by United States connections at last month's auction.

Nor is that initial package of horses ready to rest on an impressive array of laurels. Even though those promising yearlings are now 5-year-olds, one more graded stakes winner could be added to the list Nov. 20 when Brown sends out Brant's 2017 Tattersalls buy Serve the King  in the $200,000 Red Smith Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

"Buying at Tattersalls has added another dimension to our stable," said Brown who has orchestrated the sale and development of about 60 yearlings at Tattersalls for his owners since 2017. "Overall, it's been very successful. We've gotten a high percentage of stakes horses out of there."

If attending a sale and ultimately coming up with graded stakes winners at a 25% clip from 10 or more purchases is a phenomenal achievement, then another even more glittering superlative might be needed Saturday if Serve the King captures the 1 3/8-mile turf stakes at the Big A.

The 5-year-old son of Kingman  has already added some luster to Brown and Ryan's overseas Class of 2017 by winning the John's Call Stakes this summer and then becoming grade 1-placed through a runner-up finish last month behind Rockemperor , another Brown runner, in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T) at Belmont Park.

While that performance in the Joe Hirsch was not convincing enough to punch a ticket to the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), it should have him poised for a strong effort in New York's final graded turf stakes of the year for males.

"Serve the King is coming off a really good race and is continuing to get better. He's in real good form right now," Brown said. "He got a great, ground-saving trip in the Joe Hirsch, though he did have to pause for a moment to swing around a horse and that might have cost him a little bit."

Serve the King was bought for $361,616 from the Norris Bloodstock consignment at the Tattersalls sale. With a record of 4-2-1 from 10 starts, he has earned $296,180 while serving as one of the matches that lit the fuse for a sustained run of success for Ryan and Brown at Tattersalls.

Overall, Ryan bought 57 yearlings for Brown and various owners at Tattersalls from 2017-19 and through mid-September he compiled 29 winners and seven graded stakes winners from those purchases.

Aside from Serve the King, Brown will also send out Klaravich's Value Engineering , a 5-year-old bred in Kentucky by D. J. Stable who is coming off an Oct. 21 allowance optional claiming win.

"Value Engineering is a horse that finally broke through last time. We'll take a shot with him, but it's a big, solid field and he will have to step up to win it," Brown said about a son of Lemon Drop Kid   who will be making his stakes debut in his 12th start.

The field of 10 also includes Calumet Farm's homebred grade 1 winner Channel Cat . The son of the recently deceased stallionEnglish Channel   won the Man o' War Stakes (G1T) in May for trainer Jack Sisterson but has finished no better than fourth in three subsequent starts.

The 6-year-old Channel Cat, who was sixth in the Calumet Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs in his last start, will race with blinkers Saturday in hopes of igniting a return to his form in the springtime.

"He lacked that little bit of spark in his past couple of starts and the addition of blinkers will help him," Sisterson said. "In the race at Kentucky Downs, he didn't make the lead and didn't really finish up. I felt that there was something missing the last two races and I think blinkers will help."

Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising  should welcome the longer distance of the Red Smith after rallying from 10th at the eighth pole to finish fifth in the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) at 1 1/8 miles last time out.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables, and Michael Caruso and trained by Christophe Clement, the Frankel  3-year-old was second in both the Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes and the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) at 1 1/2 miles and 1 3/16 miles, respectively, in his first two starts for his new connections after starting his career in France. He will face older horses for the first time Saturday.

"I think he's good enough to make the jump," Clement said. "I thought he ran well last time, but we asked of him an impossible task being so far back."

Entries: Red Smith S. (G2T)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, November 20, 2021, Race 9

• Grade IIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:43 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tide of the Sea (KY)	Luis Saez	126	Michael J. Maker	15/1
2	2Value Engineering (KY)	Dylan Davis	122	Chad C. Brown	8/1
3	3Soldier Rising (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Christophe Clement	5/1
4	4Serve the King (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	3/1
5	5Shamrocket (FL)	Javier Castellano	124	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
6	6Corelli (KY)	Manuel Franco	126	Jonathan Thomas	12/1
7	7Channel Cat (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Jack Sisterson	4/1
8	8Sanctuary City (NY)	Ruben Silvera	122	James W. Ferraro	20/1
9	9No Word (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
10	10Price Talk (KY)	Eric Cancel	122	Anthony W. Dutrow	8/1