Trainer Brown seeks first Derby victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There was a brief moment three weeks ago when trainer Chad Brown’s Kentucky Derby outlook was jolted as one of his hopefuls resisted multiple attempts to enter the gate in a major qualifying race and then started slowly.

Things turned out way better than Brown could have guessed as that testy colt, Sierra Leone, put any concerns to rest by storming from the back to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass by 1½ lengths at Keeneland. That stirring rally not only gave Brown two Derby contenders along with Domestic Product entering Saturday’s milestone 150th Derby at Churchill Downs, but the points leader coming into the race.

And as Brown seeks his longawaited Derby breakthrough in the $5 million race, having multiple chances certainly helps against 18 other horses.

“We’ve come in with some good shots, but we’ve yet to win the race,” said Brown, who is winless in seven starts with a second and third since 2018. “So, hopefully it’s our year this year.”

Sierra Leone, the 3-1 second choice behind Todd Pletcher trained Fierceness (5-2), provides Brown his best chance thanks to uncanny closing speed. It has helped the son of Gun Runner and Heavenly Love won both starts as a 3-year-old by narrow margins after settling back early. Catching Freedom is the 8-1 third choice in the 1 1/4-mile first jewel in the Triple Crown.

Domestic Product enters as a 30-1 long shot but also rested after winning the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby by a neck on March 9 following a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park in February.

A four-time Eclipse Award winner, Brown has come close to entering the winner’s circle, most recently with Zandon two years ago behind 80-1 long shot Rich Strike and Epicenter. Good Magic gave him his best performance in 2018, finishing second to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify. In his first Derby in 2013, Normandy Invasion was fourth.