Brown Runners Surf to Maiden Wins at the Jersey Shore

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Monmouth Park

MaidenWatch makes a stop at the Jersey Shore this weekend, as two of the top performances from the week came at seaside Monmouth Park in Long Branch, N.J. Both runners were trained by New York-based Chad Brown, who has consistently maintained a barn at the Jersey track for a number of years.

The Brown pupils each scored on June 10, the day after their trainer notched two grade 1 wins on Acorn day with the venerable In Italian in the Just A Game (G1T) and the up and comer Marketsegmentation in the New York (G1T).

Graduating first on the Saturday Monmouth card was Klaravich Stable's homebred Surge Capacity in the afternoon opener, a maiden special weight for fillies and mares aged 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles on the grass. The 3-year-old daughter of Brown trainee and 2016 champion turf male Flintshire, Surge Capacity contested a sprightly early pace before drawing away from her rivals at the top of the lane. Kept to task under jockey Samy Camacho, she kept the favored Rugelach at bay for a 1 1/2 length tally. The dark bay captured her debut in a swift final time of 1:40.91 over a firm turf course.

Surge Capacity, produced from Klaravich's stakes-winning mare Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward) is a half sibling to the owner's graded stakes winner and 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) starter Highly Motivated . The burly son of Into Mischief , also trained by Brown, placed in the Blue Grass (G2) and Gotham Stakes (G3) before running 10th in the Run for the Roses. He returned to training as a 4-year-old and set a new Monmouth Park course record for 1 1/8 miles on the dirt when capturing the Monmouth Cup (G3).

In the last race of the day, Brown kept the momentum alive when another client homebred, Army Times, registered a neck victory in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up on the main track. Out of the Brown-trained race mare Paid Up Subscriber, a grade 2 earner of $862,850, Army Times was bred by esteemed breeder and owner Peter Brant of White Birch Farm. The co-owner of Paid Up Subscriber throughout her racing career with Joseph Allen, Brant shelled out $1.1 million for the Candy Ride  mare at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. Three-year-old Army Times, sired by Into Mischief, is the mare's second foal.

A well-beaten fourth in his first outing, sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt at Aqueduct Racetrack in March, Army was given a brief respite and returned to the work tab May 14 at Saratoga. Stretched out to two turns on Saturday, the colt settled just off the pacesetters, gained momentum around the final turn, and drove 3-wide to the front. Showing his grit, he sparred with a stubborn Life On the Nile down the stretch, prevailing by a neck under the wire.

With Camacho aboard again for Brown, the bay stopped the timer in 1:45.16 on a fast main track.