Big Brown
Big Brown, the horse, won the 2008 Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, won 7 of 8 career, and was named champion sophomore but the big brown we’re talking about today is Chad Brown, who won his first training title at the main-track Aqueduct fall meet and is a solid guy for bettors to follow if they want to cash tickets.
Barely over 3 decades odds, Chad learned from some greats. He worked for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and the late great Bobby Frankel and that kind of pedigree goes a long way in knowing how to win races.
The Cornell University graduate was not always into the flats in the country. He grew up breaking and training standardbreds and that is where is first love was but he always wanted to work with Thoroughbreds.
He started at the bottom, like most horse people do hot-walking, grooming then eventually working as a foreman for Shug.
For 5 years Chad split time between California and New York overseeing the operation of Frankel and also ventured to Jersey and Florida in pursuit of winners.
It was working for Frankel, that Brown got a taste of a good horse working with stars like Ghostzapper, Empire Maker, Intercontinental and Megaglia D’Oro.
Frankel always treated his employees great. He was stern but fair and in retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to Chad. To learn from a giving guy like Bobby was like getting a master’s degree in the game.
Brown just went out on his own three years ago when the time just happened to be right. And the very next season, he saddled Maran in her win in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Like most trainers, Brown is very good at certain things and bettors that hone in on his strengths, will thrive in the process.
This year he is hitting at 22% overall in the win department but if you delve deeper, his true keys to success will emerge.
When a player sees a Chad Brown runner go from Maiden Special Weight to a maiden claimer, the red lights, the sirens and the fire department has to be on call because he is hot with this ploy.
In the last 3 years, he has won with 8 of his 27 starters in that category and another 8 ran second.
Brown has also proven to have a great eye for a horse as he is 5 for 25 the last 3 years with first off the claim runners and 5 others completed the exacta.
Bettors should also be very aware of the medications list when thinking about the Brown factor. In the last 3 years he is much more potent with 2nd time Lasix runners than with first-time Lasix.
He has hit at 23% with 2nd time Lasix horses with a median winning price of 5-2 and of those 84 starters, 58% ran in the money.
Chad has also been known to give a horse a race now and then. He is 28% the last 3 years with 2nd after layoff performers so be careful before just loading up on his comebackers.
Finally, make sure you get a price if you take a shot with his debuters as he is not great with first-timers.
Please do one thing with Mr. Brown in mind, put him on your betting wish list for the holidays.
