Brown Duo Chasing Fourth Hollywood Derby Victory

As much as the loss of Tex Sutton flights may have caused some headaches for horsemen, it hasn't stopped trainer Chad Brown from planning his usual Thanksgiving weekend "feast" on the West Coast.

The New York-based four-time Eclipse Award winner will once again be well-represented in five rich graded turf stakes at Del Mar, shipping eight horses west to run in the Nov. 26-28 cards at the racetrack adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.

Included in that group is the duo of Public Sector  and Sifting Sands , who on Nov. 27 will attempt to give Brown a fourth win in the $400,000 Hollywood Derby (G1T) since 2016.

"I try to hand-pick the horses that will do well out there," Brown said, "and these horses look to me that they are ones who in my experience will appreciate that course at Del Mar."

Of the two horses bought overseas at the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Klaravich Stables' Public Sector arrives in better form for the important turf stakes for 3-year-olds, having won his last three starts, all of them in graded stakes.

In facing a full starting gate of rivals while searching for an initial grade 1 victory, the highly consistent son of Kingman  enters with a record of five wins and three seconds from nine career starts with earnings of $598,600. The lone unplaced finish occurred in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) when he was a dull 12th.

In closing out his 2021 campaign, he has blossomed into a 3-year-old who seems poised for bigger and better things at 4. In his last three starts, he has reeled off consecutive victories in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T), Saranac Stakes (G3T), and then the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T), stretching out each time from a mile to 1 1/16 miles to Saturday's distance of 1 1/8 miles.

"He's been doing fine and has developed nicely," Brown said. "He's coming into the race in good shape and should not have any problem with the distance. He's done everything you want to see a 3-year-old do throughout the year. He's continuing to get faster with stronger numbers (speed figures). He's showing more range in his races and he should be able to stretch out as he gets older. I couldn't be more pleased with him."

Bred by The Kathryn Stud out of the Montjeu  mare Parle Moi , Public Sector was bought for $217,823 from the Clearwater Stud consignment.

Peter Brant's Sifting Sands had a two-race win streak snapped when he finished seventh behind his stablemate while traveling wide in the Oct. 23 Hill Prince at a 1 1/8-mile distance.

Prior to that, the son of Dubawi  out of the Montjeu mare Yummy Mummy posted back-to-back wins in the Better Talk Now Stakes and an allowance optional claimer, both at Saratoga Race Course.

"He got into a little bit of trouble on the backside in the Hill Prince," Brown said, "and he's the kind of horse that if you get into a fight with him, he'll spit the bit on you. So we're hoping to get back on track with him."

Bred by Newsells Park Stud, he was bought for $645,273.

The bulky field of 15, which includes one entrant on the also-eligible list, also features an up-and-coming West Coast hopeful in LNJ Foxwoods' Subconscious .

"He's really started to develop, and he's trained well so we're excited about running him," Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said.

The son of Tapit   lost his first three starts but in his last three he notched consecutive victories in a maiden race, an allowance optional claiming race, and then the Twilight Derby Stakes (G2T).

That Subconscious' rise to prominence came after he was gelded was no coincidence according to Mandella.

"We corrected his thinking a little bit," Mandella said, "and he grew into a good horse. He always showed a lot of potential but gelding him put it all together.

In capturing his stakes debut, the speedy Subconscious was second much of the way then forged to the front in the stretch and registered a 1 1/4-length victory in the nine-furlong turf stakes at Santa Anita Park.

After breaking from post 2 last time, Subconscious must overcome post 12 Saturday.

Bred by Buscar Stables, the son of the Candy Ride   mare Sweet Dreams was bought for $380,000 by Solis/Litt from the Hidden Brook consignment at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Walking L Thoroughbreds' Camp Hope  heads west in hopes of securing an initial graded stakes win while chasing a third straight victory.

 The Summer Front   colt is coming off a pair of Keeneland victories for trainer Ken McPeek, taking an allowance race and then the Bryan Station Stakes by a combined margin of eight lengths.

Cathkin Peak  and Beyond Brilliant , who were second and third, respectively, in the Twilight Derby, were also entered in the grade 1 stakes.

Beyond Brilliant, a Twirling Candy   colt owned by C R K Stable and trained by John Shirreffs, broke from post 10 and traveled wide while chasing the pace in the Twilight Derby, finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind Subconscious.

Cathkin Peak, who finished 1 1/4 lengths behind in second, will be hoping for a rapid pace after rallying from ninth after six furlongs in the Oct. 31 Twilight Derby.

Owned by Sterling Stables, Michael Nentwig, and CYBT and trained by Phil D'Amato, the Alhebayeb  gelding owns a record of 2-2-0 in seven starts but is winless after prevailing in his first two tries.

Entries: Hollywood Derby (G1T)

Del Mar, Saturday, November 27, 2021, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 4:29 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dicey Mo Chara (GB)	Tyler Baze	122	Leonard Powell	30/1
2	2Beyond Brilliant (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	122	John A. Shirreffs	12/1
3	3Cathkin Peak (IRE)	Flavien Prat	122	Philip D'Amato	6/1
4	4Team Merchants (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Doug F. O'Neill	15/1
5	5Hudson Ridge (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Bob Baffert	12/1
6	6Public Sector (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	5/2
7	7Flashiest (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Leonard Powell	15/1
8	8Sifting Sands (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Chad C. Brown	15/1
9	9It Can Be Done (KY)	Joe Bravo	122	Gregory D. Sacco	20/1
10	10Zoffarelli (IRE)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Jeff Mullins	20/1
11	11Camp Hope (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	5/1
12	12Subconscious (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Richard E. Mandella	4/1
13	13In Effect (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Jack Sisterson	20/1
14	14Santin (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	122	Brendan P. Walsh	10/1
15	15Airman (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	122	John A. Shirreffs	30/1