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Brown thinking big with Discovery winner Miles D

by NYRA Press Office

• Brown thinking big with Discovery winner Miles D
• Independence Hall sharp in final breeze for G1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets
• Clement reflects on the career of multiple graded stakes winner Mutamakina

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown said Peter Brant and Robert V. LaPenta’s Miles D, an impressive winner of Saturday’s $150,000 Discovery at Aqueduct Racetrack, could point to the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

“I’m not one to send my horses to other continents to run. I like to stick to my circuits. But that race has been on my mind with the right style of horse,” Brown said. “This might be the kind of horse that fits for me trying one of those races. Although he’s had a couple of hard races, he is lightly raced. If you look at his record, he hasn’t had that many starts. He didn’t have to do battle in the Triple Crown, and he doesn’t have a ton of miles on him.”

A son of multiple champion producing stallion Curlin, Miles D collared heavy favorite Speaker’s Corner in the stretch drive of the Discovery, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, registering a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure. The win followed a hard-fought first level allowance score against older company on October 24 going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park. 

Miles D sports a consistent ledger of 6-3-1-1, including stakes placings at Saratoga in his sire’s namesake race on July 30 at Saratoga Race Course en route to a third in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers on August 28. 

Brown said Miles D is not likely to target the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on January 29 at Gulfstream Park, a race expected to attract reigning Breeders’ Cup champions Knicks Go [Classic] and Life Is Good [Dirt Mile].

“I have to talk to the owners about it. I’m not really sure,” Brown said. “I’m not so much interested in the Pegasus against those two horses. I’ll get him down there and see. There’s definitely a pace scenario to consider as well. If I race in big races in the wintertime, it’s horses that are lightly raced. With horses that have had long campaigns, I don’t care how much money they offer me at any track. I don’t really run them too much. This horse, there’s a possibility that we keep on going with him.” 

Brown said Miles D could be a force to be reckoned with next year in the older horse division. 

“If he takes another step forward next year, runs in all the handicap races and has success in one or more of them, he has a lot of stallion potential. Races like the Whitney or the Jockey Club are ones that would matter to me quite a bit,” Brown said. 

Miles D was fourth on debut last October at Belmont in what turned out to be a key maiden race, finishing behind Speaker’s Corner as well as subsequent stakes winners Caddo River and Greatest Honour. 

Brown credited both his team and owners for allowing a patient approach with the horse. 

“It’s taken a lot of patience by our team and our two owners. They never questioned giving him a little time,” Brown said. 

Named after the late influential jazz musician Miles Davis, Miles D is out of the unraced Bernardini broodmare Sound the Trumpets, whose first dam is multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire My Flag and second dam is undefeated Hall of Fame champion Personal Ensign. Miles D was acquired for $470,000 from the Denali Stud consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 

Brown went on to report that Klaravich Stables’ Forced Ranking will not make this Saturday’s Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct after spiking a temperature. He will still, however, saddle Jeff Drown’s maiden winner Zandon, who breezed a half-mile in 49.82 Sunday over the Belmont dirt training track. 

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Independence Hall sharp in final breeze for G1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets

Independence Hall breezed a bullet half-mile in 46.80 Saturday at Churchill Downs in his final piece of work for the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

"I'm very happy with the way he worked," trainer Michael McCarthy said. "We wanted to go ahead and put a little air in his lungs and that's definitely what we got. A race like the Cigar Mile doesn't come around very often and we wanted to make sure we're nice and sharp."

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, WinStar Farm, Kathleen Verratti and Robert Verratti, the 4-year-old Constitution colt boasts a 2-for-2 record at the Big A that includes a 12 1/4-length score in the 2019 Grade 3 Nashua and a four-length win in the 2020 Jerome, both at a one-turn mile for his former conditioner Michael Trombetta.

Independence Hall made his first start for McCarthy in November 2020 at Del Mar, winning a 6 1/2-furlong optional-claiming sprint ahead of a fifth in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Malibu in December 2020 at Santa Anita.

The dark bay demonstrated class while chasing the victorious Knicks Go with a third-place effort in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream and a pressing second in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Lukas Classic in October at Churchill Downs.

McCarthy said Independence Hall has benefitted from the addition of blinkers three starts back when fifth off a four-month layoff in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in August at Del Mar

“The blinkers have helped him focus a little bit and dial him in a little more,” McCarthy said. “The Pacific Classic was unfortunate coming off of a long layoff and going a mile and a quarter. It just didn't seem like he was as tight as he could have been but as you can see it certainly moved him forward.”

Last out, Independence Hall, romped to a 7 1/4-length score over Cigar Mile-rival Code of Honor in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Fayette contested over a sloppy track on October 30 at Keeneland.

McCarthy confirmed Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will retain the mount aboard Independence Hall, who will ship to New York on Monday.

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Clement reflects on the career of multiple graded stakes winner Mutamakina

Trainer Christophe Clement expressed pride and satisfaction in saddling Al Shira’aa Farms Mutamakina to victory in the final start of her career when capturing Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

The 5-year-old daughter of Nathaniel defended her title in the Long Island, which she won last year when collaring stablemate Traipsing up the rail in the final strides. Mutamakina saw some added ground in this year’s Long Island which was moved from 11 to 12 furlongs. 

“I’m still enjoying the win,” Clement said. “I’m very grateful for the owner and hopefully we can be lucky again.”

Previously trained in France by Carlos Laffon-Parias, Mutamakina achieved modest success overseas, including a Group 2 placing behind subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass at Longchamp. She finished a distant eighth to eventual Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Audarya in her final start in France in August 2020. 

Her career reached new heights when transferred to Clement in New York, finishing a troubled third in last year’s Zagora at Belmont over yielding turf en route to her first Long Island score to close out her 4-year-old campaign. 

Following three losses at Belmont at stakes level to launch her 2021 season, including a second in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay and a third in the River Memories, Mutamakina went on a three-race tear, traveling to Woodbine Racetrack to capture the Grade 2 Dance Smartly and Grade 1 E.P. Taylor ahead of this year’s Long Island. 

“She had a real career in the states. It was a great decision on their part to send her here because she improved her resume by coming here,” Clement said. “When things work out with staying fillies like her, these things happen. She’s talented and an above average horse and, like most horses, she got better as she got older.”

Dylan Davis, undefeated aboard Mutamakina, piloted the mare to all four of her triumphs in North America. She provided Davis with his first Grade 1 win by besting stablemate La Dragontea by a neck in the E.P. Taylor in October. 

“I got aboard her because Kieran Lalor, the racing manager for Al Shira’aa Stud, really wanted me to ride her after I rode her in last year’s Long Island,” Davis said. “She had different riders in between then, but once I got back up on her this summer, we hooked back up. She was my first Grade 1-winner, I went 4-for-4 on her. How much better can you get than that? I’m going to get a nice big picture of her and put it in my house.

“She’s pretty straight forward,” Davis continued. “She was actually a little more on edge at Woodbine. She’d be more on it those first couple of jumps out of the gate. After that she would settle down, but over here she was more relaxed.”

Mutamakina is slated to ship to Ireland for a broodmare career, where she will be bred to Dubawi. 

Bred in Great Britain by Widgham Stud, Mutamakina is out of the Danehill broodmare Joshua’s Princess. Her fourth dam is 1995 European Horse of the Year Ridgewood Pearl, who captured that year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park. 

Mutamakina closed out her career with a record of 17-6-3-3 with purse earnings of $854,066.