Chad Brown scores one-two-three finish at Beverly D.
The 29th running of the Beverly D. turned into the "Chad Brown Stakes" on Saturday at Arlington Park.
The East Coast-based trainer, who missed sweeping the day's three Grade I races by a neck, scored an unprecedented one-two-three finish in the 1-3/16ths turf event.
Irish bred Sistercharlie ($5.20 to win as the favorite in the 9-horse field) led the Brown charge, winning by a half-length over Fourstar Crook, who was 1ΒΌ lengths ahead of French-bred Thais.
"It's a great feeling, all three horses ran terrific," said Brown, whose other starter in the race (Inflexibility) ran a close-up fifth. "It's very rewarding for my staff and my owners."
It was also a record fourth straight and fifth overall Beverly D win for Brown as his 4-year-old filly won for the third time in four starts this year.
"She's very consistent," Brown said of Sistercharlie. "She's the type of mare any trainer would love to have.
"Fourstar Crook is a rock-solid consistent horse as well. We're so fortunate to have them in the same stable. When they run against each other, neither of them deserves to lose. That's the bad part. But both of them deserve to be in the race and that's why we run them."
Peter M. Brant, the 71-year-old owner of Sistercharlie, is an accomplished polo player and was once the highest-rated amateur in the United Stakes. He is the co-founder Greenwich Polo club.
Hunch bet of the day: The Beverly D. is named for the late wife of Arlington Park chairman Richard Duchossois.
Coincidentally, Rich and Karen Papiese's horse named Duchossois, won the third race on Saturday.
It came as a surprise to the chairman.
"Before the race, some guy asked me how my horse was going to do," Duchossois chuckled. "I said, 'I don't have a horse today.' He said, 'Yes, you do.' I said, 'No, I don't.' He said, 'Yeah, it's in Race 3,' so that was the first I heard of it."