Brown puts together eight-race win streak

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In between disappointments in Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga and Sunday’s Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, trainer Chad Brown won eight consecutive races, including seven straight on Sunday.

Brown’s streak started in Saturday’s 11th race at Saratoga, where Durable Goods won a maiden race on turf. Wake Island, also trained by Brown, was second.

On Sunday, Brown went 3 for 3 at Saratoga. Paid Up Subscriber won the Grade 3 Shuvee by 32 1/2 lengths, defeating two horses. Separation of powers, a 2-year-old daughter of Candy Ride , won a six-furlong maiden race by 11 1/2 lengths. Focus Group won a maiden turf race.

At Monmouth, Brown won the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes with Money Multiplier, an allowance with Wind Tartare, and the Grade 3 Matchmaker with Wekeela.

At Woodbine, Brown won the Wonder Where Stakes with Inflexibility.

Brown’s streak ended when Practical Joke finished third and the favored Timeline fifth in the Haskell.

“The big race didn’t work out for us, unfortunately, but we have to be very happy with all our other runners,” Brown said Monday. “To win eight races in a row, seven in one day, we’ve never done that.”

Brown said Money Multiplier, who earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in the Monmouth Stakes, will point to the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Aug. 26. Money Multiplier finished second to Flintshire in last year’s Sword Dancer.

Separation of powers, who earned an 86 Beyer for her maiden victory, will make her next start in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga on Sept. 3.

“She had trained like a good one and ran like one, and it’s really relieving to see when they run to their works when you’re training young horses,” Brown said.

Plans for Brown’s other winners on Sunday were not yet determined.

Brown started a new streak on Monday when he won Saratoga’s second race, a maiden race on turf, with Funtastic.

Arklow tops Hall of Fame

Arklow, the winner of the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs in May, tops a field of nine 3-year-olds for Friday’s Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes.

Arklow rallied to a one-length victory over Good Samaritan in the American Turf, a performance obviously flattered on Saturday when Good Samaritan upset the Grade 2 Jim Dandy here. Trained by Brad Cox, Arklow will attempt to rebound from an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. Florent Geroux will be aboard for the first time.

The Hall of Fame, at 1 1/16 miles on turf, lured a wellmatched field that also includes stakes winners Big Handsome (Javier Castellano to ride), Bonus Points (Kendrick Carmouche), Bricks and Mortar (Joel Rosario), Secretary at War (John Velazquez), and Yoshida (Irad Ortiz Jr.). Makarios (Luis Saez), Parlor (Julien Leparoux), and Snap Decision (Jose Ortiz) complete the lineup for turf. Caviar Czar was entered for the main track only.

Snap Decision blew out for the Hall of Fame over the Oklahoma turf course in 49.34 around the dogs for trainer Shug McGaughey on Monday. Snap Decision is coming off a 1 1/2-length allowance victory at Belmont four weeks ago. The Hall of Fame will mark his second foray into stakes competition. He finished a late-running third after being bumped at the start of the Grade 3 Palm Beach last winter at Gulfstream Park.

“This is the next logical step for him,” McGaughey said, “and if he runs decent, which I think he will, we’ll look at the Saranac, which is at 1 1/8 miles and should suit him better.”

McGaughey will also be busy on Saturday, with Apple Betty targeting the Grade 3 Waya and Grade 2 winner On Leave going in the De La Rose. On Leave breezed a half-mile on turf in 52.03 here Monday.

Apple Betty led throughout under John Velazquez to win the 12-furlong River Memories on July 9 after being outrun against Grade 2 company in her two previous starts for McGaughey.

“A mile and one-half is what she wants to do – she’s just a galloper,” said McGaughey.

Mojovation earns Hopeful start

On Saturday, trainer Todd Pletcher won four races on the Saratoga card, including a maiden special weight race with the 2-year-old colt Mojovation, who scored a frontrunning victory by two lengths. He covered six furlongs in 1:11.14 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86.

“He trained well all summer,” Pletcher said. “It was nice to see him perform up to the way he had been training.”

Mojovation, a son of Quality Road owned by Zayat Stables, likely will make his next start in the Grade 1 Hopeful Sept. 4.

Through Sunday, Pletcher had won 22 juvenile races this year from 60 starters. At Saratoga, he is 4 for 11 with his 2-year-olds.