Trainer Brown Gearing Up for Gulfstream

The month of December for trainer Chad Brown, whose body of work this year will likely garner him an Eclipse Award finalist spot, is typically a quiet one for his stable. Many of his runners are being geared down after a busy season, while some others are in light training in advance of being geared up with an eye on races in South Florida during the winter.

But that doesn't mean the 37-year-old Brown is on vacation. He arrived in South Florida on Dec. 6, and will run his first starters at Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet Dec.10. The season isn't done for Brown, who leads the nation in stakes wins and earnings, it will just be less frenetic than the past several months when on any given day he was represented by a multitude of starters in several different locales.

"This is my downtime," Brown said Dec. 7 from Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. "I'm resting my horses. I'm not in any rush with them, and resting my mind right now."

Among the 2-year-olds he has with him at Palm Meadows is two-time grade I winner Practical Joke, who was third in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I); and Favorable Outcome, who is grade I-placed and is coming off a 12th-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) in his grass debut.

Brown said he has yet to decide when or where those horses will make their 3-year-old debuts.

"Practical Joke is in light training at Palm Meadows," Brown said. "I haven't mapped out a schedule yet, but I will have a clearer picture of what I might want to do in a couple of weeks.

"Favorable Outcome is also in light training at Palm Meadows," he added. "We're going to focus on shorter distance races for him next year. I haven't penciled in a return date for him yet."

Brown revealed a clearer picture of his plans for Lady Eli, who was nipped at the wire of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) by Queen's Trust and finished second. The 4-year-old filly made a miraculous comeback to the races after being away more than a year while recovering from laminitis. Lady Eli returned to competition in August and finished second in the Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course. She followed with a win the Flower Bowl (gr. IT) at Belmont Park, her prep for the Breeders' Cup.

"She is currently at Palm Meadows on downtime and probably won't run again until possibly Keeneland in a race like the Jenny Wiley," Brown said.

Brown, who is in the midst of a personal-best season with his runners earning more than $22 million, also enjoyed some downtime last week in New York when he attended a special family event, something his busy schedule rarely permits.

"I just spent a little time in Saratoga this last week as my nephew was Christened and I got to see a lot of family I haven't seen awhile, which was really fun," he said.

Brown, who currently leads Todd Pletcher in stakes wins, 61 to 56, for the year, will have several opportunities at Gulfstream Park to build on that number before the end of 2016. On Saturday's Juvenile Showcase Day program, he will saddle Create a Dream and Lady Alexandra in the $75,000 Wait a While and Concomitant in the $75,000 Pulpit.

The following Saturday, Dec. 17, Brown is eyeing the $100,000 South Beach with stakes-placed Neck of the Moon, who endured a tough trip to finish second in the River Memories at Woodbine Nov. 5. Neck of the Moon will enter the South Beach, a 7 1/2-furlong turf race for fillies and mares, with a record of 4-6-6 in 21 starts.

"She's a very consistent horse, but she is just not lucky," Brown said. "We spotted her well all season and she just had very unfortunate trips. A couple of those races she could have won. She always gives her best."

Brown said Neck of the Moon is scheduled to work at Palm Meadows on Saturday.