Bricks and Mortar Overwhelms Manhattan Rivals
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Bricks and Mortar rolls to victory in the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park
Horses trained by Chad Brown made up nearly half of the field for the $1 million Manhattan Stakes (G1T) June 8 at Belmont Park, but bettors looking for a price were disappointed as favored Bricks and Mortar won by 1 1/2 lengths for his fifth consecutive score.
Brown trainees completed the trifecta, with Robert Bruce running second and Raging Bull coming in three-quarters of a length back in third. The 50-cent Brown trifecta paid $23.12. Brown's fourth runner, Olympico, finished seventh.
Running for Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, Bricks and Mortar and Irad Ortiz Jr. broke from post 8, taking back in the early going and moving into the two path heading into the first turn, well back of the early pacesetter, Bandua. As the field turned onto the backstretch, Qurbaan and Mike Smith took the advantage, opening up several lengths while Bricks and Mortar ran steadily in sixth, 7 1/2 lengths off the lead.
Sitting behind a wall of three horses, Bricks and Mortar swung four wide as the field hit the stretch, took control with impressive acceleration, and stopped the timer in 1:58.11 for 10 furlongs on a firm inner turf course. Sent off at odds of 3-5 in a nine-horse field, he returned $3.30, $2.70, and $2.40.
"Since I've been riding him, he hasn't got beat yet. I love this horse. He's a fighter," said Ortiz. "He's so good. The track was really fast. He always shows up. His last couple of races was on firm turf; this was softer. His feet can feel it a little more.
"He broke perfectly and put himself in a good position early so I didn't have to use him, and I can save ground. I followed Channel Maker the whole way, and when I turned for home and I kicked him out, he just took off."
Bricks and Mortar, a 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, sold for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Brown's bloodstock partner Mike Ryan selected the horse, who was purchased by Oaks Bluff Partners. Bred in Kentucky by George Strawbridge Jr., he is out of the Ocean Crest mare Beyond the Waves.
An injury sidelined the dark bay/brown horse from October 2017 to December 2018; he is undefeated since returning to the races, winning three grade 1 races in that streak (the others are the May 4 Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes and the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes). His win in the Manhattan pushed his earnings to $4.3 million.
"Ian Brennan and his staff down in Ocala at Stonestreet broke the horse for us and have rehabbed him every time he's had an injury," said Brown. "They've done a remarkable job. There was one point I didn't think the horse would come back, and Ian saw it through with his staff to really put a lot of time in. When he finally sent him back, he told me, 'You're good to go. This horse is doing better than ever.'"
Klaravich Stables' Seth Klarman ranked Bricks and Mortar as one of the finest horses he's ever owned on the strength of his 11-9-0-2 record.
"This ranks way up there," said Brown of training the top three finishers in the Manhattan. "I hold this race in such high regard. It shows how lucky I am to have such talented horses."