Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Brown poised to add another
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – They tried something new with Newspaperofrecord, an Irishbred daughter of the European stallion Lope de Vega, whom trainer Chad Brown bought for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stable at the Tattersalls October 2018 yearling sale in Newmarket, England.
Yet her position here this week at Churchill Downs is old news. Brown has won the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf three out of the last four years and four times in its 10-year history, and Newspaperofrecord figures a heavy favorite to extend Brown’s epic record in the race Friday.
“It was our first year going over to Tattersalls and buying some yearlings. We just wanted try a different approach, try to get into some different bloodlines targeting races like this,” Brown said. “When we bought her this was the point, to try and get to this race.”
Newspaperofrecord will have Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons when she breaks from post 6 racing one mile over a course, if the weather forecast holds, that could be a quagmire. Soft turf won’t trouble the filly, who won her debut at Saratoga by 6 3/4 lengths on yielding ground and the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on Sept. 30 by 6 1/2 over yielding Belmont turf.
“Those courses were pretty wet. I don’t think a soft course will be a problem,” Brown said.
What will be a problem is extracting any betting value on a horse whose price could plummet from her 2-1 morningline despite the presence of 13 opponents. The Juvenile Turf is carded as race 6 (post time 4 p.m. Eastern) and starts a 50-cent pick four.
Newspaperofrecord, minute odds aside, could be a rock-solid single starting the multi-race sequence. Not only is she so far the most impressive horse in her division, and the fastest on speed figures, Newspaperofrecord possesses a most dangerous weapon – manageable frontend speed. She pressed the leader in her maiden win before kicking clear and made all the running in the Miss Grillo, blasting away with powerful upper-stretch acceleration. There is no other real speed in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Newspaperofrecord could lead all the way.
“She’s a high-energy, spirited, athletic type that has a good turn of foot,” Brown said. “She’s a unique horse. I generally don’t run horses on the lead. The kind of horse that can lead and has a big turn of foot is rare. They keep themselves out of trouble.”
Concrete Rose has looked best so far among eight other American-based horses in the field’s main body (Pivottina
and Winning Envelope are also-eligibles) and like Newspaperofrecord has won both her starts. She got an ideal setup closing into a strong sprint pace in a Saratoga maiden race and was very late to change leads that day, but still caught the eye bounding to a 1 3/4-length victory. Trainer Rusty Arnold said the prospect of taking on Newspaperofrecord in the Miss Grillo lacked appeal, and instead Arnold awaited the Grade 2 Jessamine on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, where Concrete Rose passed her class test and aced her two-turn debut, rating kindly into a perfect pocket trip, winning by three lengths while defeating 12 rivals.
“She has some talent, has a good mind on her, and has taken a lot of steps forward in a short period of time,” Arnold said. “She’s a relaxed filly, no problems with that.”
Arnold said Concrete Rose’s success on two very different sorts of turf courses provides hope she could handle soft ground, but in the end that’s a guessing game.
Most of the other American horses already have been soundly trounced by Newspaperofrecord or Concrete Rose. Two California shippers, Summering and Lady Prancealot, come from a different corner of the division and haven’t faced the favorites. Summering would be suspect on soft ground, and while overseas import Lady Prancealot handled a heavy course in England this past April, she might lack the required quality.
My Gal Betty comes from Canada, but if you like her second-place finish in the Grade 1 Natalma seven weeks ago, why not turn to that race’s winner, La Pelosa? La Pelosa has shipped from England for trainer Charlie Appleby, who said he was surprised to find his filly so far behind the early leaders at Woodbine. That happened because the pace was so fast, and La Pelosa has positional speed at a slower race tempo, Appleby said. She also has six starts worth of experience, two more trips to the post than Newspaperofrecord and Concrete Rose combined.
But La Pelosa can run well and still lose to Newspaperofrecord. Rushing Fall, last year’s winner for Brown, came out of the Jessamine at Keeneland, but New Money Honey in 2016 and Lady Eli in 2014 both followed the Saratoga maiden-to-Miss Grillo route, same as Newspaperofrecord. Brown has said it’s no accident the grandest stakeswin photo in his office depicts the filly Maram following the inaugural Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2008, a victory that effectively launched Brown’s career.
This race hold a special spot in Brown’s heart, and Brown has another special filly for this race.