FORMER champion racehorse Big Brown has been presented with a golden opportunity to register his first stakes-winner from less than a handful of runners when the unbeaten Brown Eyes Blue tackles the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes (6f) at Saratoga on Saturday morning.
Big Brown kick started his stud career on the best possible note with his first runner winning on debut. This was quickly followed by another in the U.S and then a third, this time on Turf as opposed to dirt. With three winner’s in his first seven runner’s (and another that placed on debut) Big Brown has quickly justified some of the big sales prices his ready to run 2yo’s made earlier this year.
One of his debut winner’s, Brown Eyes Blue, steps into black type for the first time in the first of 35 scheduled Stakes races at Saratoga this meet.
One of the first real tests of 2yo fillies in the U.S, the Schuylerville Stakes was been won by some of America’s best females, from Weekend Surprise (dam of A.P Indy) in 1982 through to dual Eclipse Award winner Ashado in 2003. It is often the platform for bigger things with Hot Dixie Chick winning here before claiming the Grade I Spinaway Stakes in stakes-record time at her next start.
Brown Eyes Blue scored an impressive win when she debuted on June 30 under the famous spires at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs racecourse, coincidentally the scene of her sires’ incredible Kentucky Derby triumph on his way to claiming the Preakness Stakes.
“When she scored at under 3-1 at Churchill, Brown Eyed Blue did so at this distance and beat 11 opponents. All other runner’s nominated in the Schuylerville (Gr.3) has run at shorter distances, and against much smaller fields.” commented Conor Phelan.
“Big Brown has proven himself a sire of very good types and he may well prove to produce 2yo’s as good as himself.”
