'Robin' Adds Sparkle to Bruce Brown's Meet

For a trainer with a small string of horses like Bruce Brown, any win at Saratoga Race Course is a moment to treasure. In a typical year, he might win two or three races at the Spa, and after a win on the Aug. 13 card, he already has two with 17 racing dates left. That was thanks to the New York-bred Fast N Fearious, who won the second race of the day for the Luchncup Syndicate, a $35,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up who had never won three races. "It's so tough to win here," said Brown, who was flanked by his young son, Nicholas, during post-race television interviews. "You feel like you're bringing a knife to a gun fight in so many of these races. You'll drop down and there will be six other horses dropping more than you are. It can be disheartening. So, anytime you win at Saratoga it's huge." Yet even though the gelded son of Palace Malice paid a generous $34.40, it was Brown's first victory at the meet that he will never forget. Back on July 23, it was his speedy and gritty mare Robin Sparkles who provided him with not only an initial 2022 victory at the Spa when she captured the $200,000 5 1/2-furlong Caress Stakes (G3T), but also gave him the first graded stakes win in a training career that started in 2008 and has numbered more than 4,100 starts. "That was huge to get my first graded stakes win and get it up here," said 46-year-old Brown, who has 13 horses stabled at Saratoga and is 2-for-12 at the meet. "That filly has been so good to us. She just tries and runs her race every time. It's good when those kind of horses run their best races on the right day." The 5-year-old Robin Sparkles, owned by Michael Schrader, is about as much of a rags-to-riches story as anyone will find at the racetrack. The daughter of Elusive Quality bred by Hibiscus Stables cost just $30,000 when she was originally purchased by Linda Rice as a yearling from the Indian Creek consignment at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearling Sale. Yet before she could make it to the racetrack, she was gifted to Schrader and has become a $530,668 earner with a record of 9-2-3 in 16 career starts for Brown. "She always tries," Brown said. "You face the best of the best here and when you can get a victory in a graded stakes at Saratoga, it's as good as it gets." Brown plans to run Robin Sparkles Aug. 20 in the $150,000 Smart N Fancy Stakes at the Spa, another 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares, but he knows a rather loud clock is ticking as Schrader intends to enter the mare in a sale this fall. Should all go well in the Smart N Fancy, where she will be facing a field similar to the Caress, Brown is toying with the option of running in the Sept. 24 $300,000 Turf Monster Stakes (G3T) at Parx Racing against the boys. "It's five furlongs," Brown said about the Turf Monster, "and the shorter the better for her." From there, who knows, another 5 1/2-furlong sprint, the Nov. 5 $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland, could be a fitting finale. "She's going to Kentucky for the sale in November, so maybe we run here there at the Breeders' Cup. The distance fits," said Brown, who was an assistant to John Forbes when he campaigned the successful stallion Tale of the Cat. "Whatever happens, they can't take away the graded stakes from her. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake." Early Voting Remains Under Consideration for Travers A week ago, trainer Chad Brown said he was undecided on whether or not Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Early Voting would run in the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) Aug. 27. After watching the son of Gun Runner work a half-mile in :49.77 on the main track Aug. 13, he still wasn't ready to commit the colt to a run in the Midsummer Derby, but he sure is more optimistic about doing it. "I thought Early Voting was really moving over the track today," Brown said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. "He is very much in consideration for the Travers after that work." Early Voting, owned by Klaravich Stables, was ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, his regular pilot, in the breeze. He worked in company with stablemate Accretive, who is being pointed to the $500,000 H Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) on Travers Day. If Early Voting does not run in the Travers, his likely landing spot would be the Sept. 24 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing. Early Voting finished fourth in his latest start, the July 30 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. That was his first start since his Preakness win on May 21. "If he's doing really well, I don't see a reason to give him another layoff—an eight-week layoff—to wait for the Pennsylvania Derby," Brown said. "He was off a 10-week layoff and I am wondering if he needed a race, Maybe I didn't have him that fit off the Preakness. These horses are different. He's a big, heavy horse that eats and sleeps all day. That's what he does." Brown also worked his other Travers contenders, Jeff Drown's Zandon, and Juddmonte's Artorius. Zandon, the runner-up in the Jim Dandy, worked a half-mile in 49.77 and Artorius, the Curlin Stakes winner, went a half in :50.09. One other Travers contender, the Brad Cox-trained Cyberknife, worked five furlongs in 1:01.05 in company with 4-year-old Supremacy. The son of Gun Runner, who is owned by Gold Square, won the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) in his last start. Nest Has Final Work Before Alabama Yes, there was talk about a run in the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers (G1) against the boys, but in the end, there was never any real chance that Nest was going to go anywhere but the Aug. 20 $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1). The solid filly, owned by Repole Stables, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, had her final Alabama breeze Aug. 13, working four furlongs in :50.60 on the main track with regular exercise rider Amelia Green in the saddle. They worked in company with fellow 3-year-old filly Up to the Mark, who was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr, who will ride Nest in the Alabama. "I thought she did very well," trainer Todd Pletcher, back at his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track, said of the work. "Went a little bit easy in the first part and picked it up at the finish and galloped out really well. She seems to be holding her form." The daughter of Curlin had a rousing 12 1/4 length win in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga on July 23. She has won three of five starts this year and was second in her other two tries. Four of her starts in 2022 have been in grade 1 races. "We did talk about it," Pletcher said of the Travers, "But we felt that as long as she was ready to run back in the Alabama, a 1 1/4 miles is perfect for her. We felt it was too good a spot to pass up." In the Alabama, she will renew her rivalry with the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Secret Oath, who won the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) while Nest was second. Secret Oath was second in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Pletcher also worked his Travers contender, Whisper Hill Farm's Charge ItAug. 13. He went five furlongs in a bullet 1:01.01. He worked by himself. It was the son of Tapit's second work at Saratoga since his 23-length win in the July 2 Dwyer Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park. "Awesome, super work," Pletcher said. "I loved the way he did it. He was moving great and galloped out strongly on a track that's not real fast."