Chad Brown Bids for Fourth United Nations Win
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Derbe Glass
Focus Group headed to the post for the Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park
It's hardly a surprise that trainer Chad Brown has a strong hand in the $300,000 United Nations Stakes (G1T).
The three-time Eclipse Award winner has already won the grade 1 turf stakes three times, and he's well represented in the upcoming June 22 edition of the 1 3/8-mile contest at Monmouth Park.
Brown will send out Klaravich Stables and W.H. Lawrence's Focus Group, a grade 2 winner, and Estrela Nova's Arrocha, who was eighth in the Fort Marcy Stakes (G3T) in his United States debut.
That would tend to put a spotlight on Focus Group as the better of the two stablemates in the field of eight, but drawing that conclusion flies in the face of what happened in last year's U.N. when Brown sent out four of the nine starters and finished 1-2. The winner, Funtastic , was the longest price on the board at 23-1.
It was a result that underscored the depth of talent in Brown's barn and should serve as a warning about overlooking any of Brown's starters in a grade 1 stakes.
"We have been lucky enough to win it three times, and I have a lot of respect for the race," said Brown, noting how the U.N. was a favorite of his mentor, the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel. "We enjoy participating in it."
Focus Group can add to that pleasure if he can bounce back from a subpar showing in the May 11 Man o' War Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. The 5-year-old son of Kitten's Joy finished a puzzling sixth, beaten five lengths as the 5-2 favorite. Prior to that, the $140,000 purchase by agent Mike Ryan from the Lane's End consignment at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale won the Pan American Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park.
"He's doing fine. I can't really explain why he ran so bad (in the Man o' War)," Brown said. "He's been training well. He was in between horses in the back of the pack and got frustrated during the race. (Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) couldn't get him to settle back there, and he wore himself out. He's trained really well since then, and I hope we can draw a line through it and he can return to his previous form."
Arrocha was a grade 1 winner on turf in Brazil last year but never mounted much of a rally in his first start for Brown. The 5-year-old son of Pounced checked eighth in the May 4 Fort Marcy, 13 1/4 lengths behind stablemate Olympico, on a soft turf course at Belmont.
"He was training fairly well, he just didn't handle the ground even though his form said he ran on a heavy course in Brazil," Brown said of the Fort Marcy effort. "He didn't handle it at all in the Fort Marcy. He hated it. He trained well on firm ground at Palm Meadows in the winter, so I hope he can turn it around and run a good race for us."
Brown's first U.N. winner was Big Blue Kitten , who won in 2013 and 2015.
Trainer Mike Maker will also send out a duo in Three Diamonds Farm's grade 1-winning Bigger Picture and Michael Hui's Zulu Alpha.
An 8-year-old gelding with earnings of more than $1.6 million, Bigger Picture already owns a pair of stakes wins in 2019. The son of Badge of Silver won the John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Sam Houston Race Park to start the year and most recently prevailed in the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. In between, he was seventh in the Pan American, winding up 3 1/2 lengths behind Focus Group.
Bigger Picture, who was bred in Kentucky by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, won the 2017 U.N. and was third in last year's edition.
Zulu Alpha, a 6-year-old gelded son of Street Cry, started 2019 with scores in the W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) and Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T). After finishing third as a 6-5 favorite in the Elkhorn, a length behind Bigger Picture, he was seventh in the Man o' War in his most recent start.
The field also includes Calumet Farm's Channel Cat, who was fifth in the Manhattan Stakes (G1T) and fourth in the Fort Marcy, and Sean Shay and Michael Ryan's grade 2 winner Hunter O'Riley.
The U.N. will be the 11th race on a 13-race card. Post time is approximately 5:28 p.m. ET.
Monmouth Park, Saturday, June 22, 2019, Race 11Entries: United Nations S. (G1T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Bigger Picture (KY)
Joe Bravo
123
Michael J. Maker
3/1
2
2Channel Cat (KY)
Luis Saez
118
Todd A. Pletcher
7/2
3
3Arrocha (BRZ)
Antonio A. Gallardo
118
Chad C. Brown
12/1
4
4Focus Group (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
123
Chad C. Brown
2/1
5
5Catcho En Die (ARG)
Nik Juarez
118
Naipaul Chatterpaul
10/1
6
6Zulu Alpha (KY)
Channing Hill
123
Michael J. Maker
4/1
7
7Hunter O'Riley (KY)
Paco Lopez
118
James J. Toner
12/1
8
8Monarchs Glen (GB)
Jose Lezcano
118
William I. Mott
15/1
