Bricks and Mortar May be Building a Special Season

What do you call three graded stakes wins in as many starts—including two top-level scores and earnings approaching $4 million?

The connections of Bricks and Mortar could call it a "start," as the 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway completed that résumé before the month of June for trainer Chad Brown. 

If this is only the foundation of a special season, Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Bricks and Mortar will try to add another memorable win June 8 when he starts in the $1 million Manhattan Stakes (G1T) on the inner turf course at Belmont. The 1 1/4-mile turf test has attracted a field of 10 older runners.

Bricks and Mortar will return to the course where he finished second in the 2017 Hill Prince Stakes (G3T). Before that, Bricks and Mortar won a pair of races over the Widener Course at Belmont, including the 2017 Manila Stakes. This year, since May 19 Bricks and Mortar has completed three works over the inner turf, two at a half-mile and one at five furlongs.

"He's doing really well," said Brown of his charge who opened the year with a win in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Gulfstream Park and enters off a half-length victory in the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Churchill Downs. "He's in great form."

As typical for many top level North American turf races, three-time reigning Eclipse Award winner Brown will send out more than one starter as he'll also have Robert Bruce, who scored the biggest win of his career at this distance in last year's Arlington Million Stakes (G1T); grade 1 winner Raging Bull, who enters off a fourth in the Turf Classic; and Olympico, who won his United States debut May 4 on this course when posting a three-length score in the Fort Marcy Stakes (G3T).

Brown will try to secure his fifth Manhattan win since 2012

Ready to face the Brown runners will be Channel Maker, a 5-year-old English Channel  gelding who enters in top form for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Channel Maker, who won last year's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) on the Widener Course, enters off a narrow victory in the Man o' War Stakes (G1T) May 11 on Belmont's inner course.

After breezing four furlongs in :49 flat on the Belmont dirt training track June 2 in his final major preparation for the race, Mott was pleased with how Channel Maker is doing heading into the race.

"He worked very well," Mott said. "We're very happy with him. It was a very nice breeze. He's ready for the Manhattan."

Entries: Manhattan S. (G1T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 08, 2019, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Inner turf
• $1,000,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Raging Bull (FR)	Javier Castellano	124	Chad C. Brown	10/1
2	2Catcho En Die (ARG)	Luis Saez	116	Naipaul Chatterpaul	20/1
3	3Robert Bruce (CHI)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Chad C. Brown	6/1
4	4Qurbaan (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	8/1
5	5Channel Cat (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
6	6Bandua (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	114	Jack Sisterson	30/1
7	7Olympico (FR)	Kendrick Carmouche	116	Chad C. Brown	6/1
8	8Bricks and Mortar (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	7/5
9	9Epical (KY)	Tyler Baze	118	James M. Cassidy	15/1
10	10Channel Maker (ON)	Joel Rosario	124	William I. Mott	9/2