Brown Seeks to Extend Sweetest Chant Success

Trainer Chad Brown will seek to continue his recent dominance in the Sweetest Chant Stakes (gr. IIIT) Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park when he saddles Consumer Credit in the one-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

 

Brown has sent out the last three winners of the Sweetest Chant: Ready to Act (2014), Premier Steps (2013), and 2014 champion female turf horse Dayatthespa (2012). He is hopeful that Consumer Credit can give him a four-bagger in the 19th running of the Sweetest Chant, which is being running as a graded stake for the first time since being upgraded. Race 8 on the Saturday card with a 4:02 p.m. EST scheduled post, it is one of five stakes (four graded) on an 11-race program.



"I think she has that type of ability. She's got a long ways to go, but she has a lot of talent," Brown said of Consumer Credit's prospects. "She's a good-looking horse and she's well bred. We always liked her."



The daughter of More Than Ready   will be seeking her third consecutive victory after finishing seventh and second, respectively, in her first two career starts.



"We always thought a lot of this filly. She had some bad luck early. She got buried in traffic in her debut and should have won. Then, she got rained off in her second start and had to run in the mud and still finished second. Since then she's put two really good races together," said Brown, who trains the Kentucky-bred filly for Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. "We think she's a horse with a ton of ability."



Purchased for $130,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Florida March selected sale of 2-year-olds in training, Consumer Credit broke her maiden at six furlongs over a yielding Belmont Park turf course Oct. 25, drawing off to a 2 1/4-length victory after stalking the early pace. She returned to action at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 29 with a 3 3/4-length triumph in the Wait a While Stakes over a firm course at Saturday's mile distance.



Edgard Zayas has the return mount on Consumer Credit in the Sweetest Chant, which drew a field of 10 fillies.



Goodwood Racing's Red Sashay, who finished fifth in the Wait a While, was entered by trainer Jane Cibelli for a rematch. In the Wait a While, the daughter of Big Brown   trailed the 12-horse field after a half-mile before closing late to finish seven lengths behind Consumer Credit.



"I thought the turf course there was speed favoring for most of the meet. It's a different configuration to any turf course I've seen," Cibelli said. "She broke off the pace and she had no chance of winning. She was too far back."



Irad Ortiz Jr. has been named to ride Red Sashay for the first time.



Also returning from the Wait a While is third-place finisher Nicky's Brown Miss, runner-up in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 3. Gabriel Saez has the mount aboard the Savino Capilupi-owned and trained filly.



Ol' Fashion Gal brings graded stakes credentials into the Sweetest Chant. Trained by Mark Casse, the daughter of Sky Mesa   is undefeated in two starts on turf, including a triumph in the Jimmy Durante Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Del Mar Nov. 29. She races for Vicki and William Poston.



Quality Rocks is scheduled to make her first start since finishing off the board in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Oct. 31. The Bill Mott-trained daughter of Rock Hard Ten previously finished second in the Jessamine Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland.