Bricklin Targets Long Branch Stakes as Haskell Stepping Stone
Following his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, Bricklin shifts focus to Sunday’s $100,000 Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park, where trainer Rodolphe Brisset sees an opportunity to regroup at a more suitable distance of one mile and 70 yards.
“He’s a good horse with tactical speed, can rate well, doesn’t have to be on the lead, but can go if they give it to him,” Brisset explained. “He’s pretty easy to ride.”
Distance Questions Answered
The Nyquist colt opened his sophomore campaign impressively at Oaklawn Park in January, dominating a first-level allowance by 3¼ lengths while earning an 86 Beyer Speed Figure. Despite a wide trip contributing to a distant third in the $500,000 Sunland Derby, Brisset remained undeterred, entering Bricklin as a 44-1 longshot in the Arkansas Derby.
The nine-furlong test proved beyond Bricklin’s optimal range. After battling for early position and briefly seizing the lead on the far turn, he weakened in the stretch to finish 7¼ lengths behind eventual Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade.
“He was a little bit under that group of horses, and I think the mile and an eighth was maybe a little long for him too,” Brisset analyzed. “If you look at it, it was a good race for him. He jumped forward and took the lead and just got tired at the eighth pole.”
Surface Test with Future Stakes
Brisset views the Monmouth appearance as a crucial surface test, with tentative plans targeting the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes in July if Sunday’s performance proves encouraging. While acknowledging his charge wasn’t prepared for the Arkansas Derby distance, the trainer hasn’t abandoned future route attempts.
The Long Branch field shrinks to five after Brisset scratched stablemate Clocker Special in favor of an $80,000 conditioned claiming race at Churchill Downs.
Brown’s Rising Star
Chad Brown’s Hedge Ratio emerges as the likely favorite making his stakes debut. The Speightstown colt transformed his form when stretching to a mile in late March, capturing an $83,000 first-level allowance at Aqueduct with a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure—a dramatic improvement in his second seasonal start following a lackluster February effort.
Brown, who narrowly missed another Monmouth training title last year, seeks his first Long Branch victory with this improving prospect.
Wood Memorial Rebound
Hugo Padilla ships in Red Zone Runner, hoping to rebound from a disastrous Wood Memorial where he finished last by 43½ lengths. The dramatic reversal came after a dominant 15½-length victory in Parx Racing’s $75,000 City of Brotherly Love Stakes.
Padilla confirmed Red Zone Runner emerged sound from the Aqueduct debacle, attributing the poor showing to racing luck rather than ability. The smaller five-horse field should allow the colt to establish his preferred position on or near the lead without the traffic troubles encountered in the 12-horse Wood Memorial.
