Brown Gets a Special Victory in Saratoga Opener
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Blazing Sevens breaks his maiden by 6 1/4 lengths at Saratoga
The first race at Saratoga Race Course July 24 had special meaning for trainer Chad Brown.
He watched as his 2-year-old colt Blazing Sevens romped to win the six-furlong race by 6 1/4 lengths. What made it even better is that Blazing Sevens, owned by Rodeo Creek Racing, is a son of Good Magic , a horse Brown trained.
"I have a few of them in my barn, so to have a winner this early in the meet in his freshman crop is extra special, for sure," Brown said. "He is a big horse and he acts like a true two-turn horse, so I was not sure he was a first win out candidate."
Brown said that Blazing Sevens, who was bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer, has shown him ability in the mornings. In Sunday's opener, Manny Franco and Blazing Sevens went past the finish line in a time of 1:13.34.
"I don't know what to make of the final time because the track has been so demanding the last couple days," Brown said. "He handled it fine. He is not a sprinter. The longer, the better with this guy. He did what he needed to do and Manny gave him a terrific ride."
Good Magic, a son of Curlin , had a nine-race career for Brown. He won the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) for his first career win in 2017 after a second-place finish in the Champagne Stakes (G1).
As a 3-year-old, he raced six times, all in stakes. He finished second to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and then was fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
After a win in the betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, his final start was a ninth-place finish in the Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
Blazing Sevens was purchased for $225,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.
"You think you have something," Brown said when asked about Blazing Sevens' margin of victory. "You also don't know what was behind him. We will just see as more maidens get written and there are more graduates. We'll see what we got when all the winners meet."