Compliance Officer Headed to Fair Grounds

10/23/2011 5:30 PM  | horseracingnation.com
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Trainer Bruce Brown has never been to Louisiana, but that will all change this December when he takes Compliance Officer, a five-length winner of yesterday's Bluegrass Cat Mohawk, to the Fair Grounds for the Claiming Crown Emerald. After that, Brown and owner La Marca Stable will have to figure out a winter plan.

"[The Claiming Crown is] still the plan, and then we'll decide after that what we want to do with him for the winter," said Brown. "A lot of times with a New York-bred turf horse you'd just give them the winter off. We could, maybe, take him to Gulfstream and not necessarily run him a lot down there, but spot him and run him once or twice to keep his form. I don't know if I want to let him out of my sight because he's doing so well. There are perfectly good farms, but he's doing so well that I'd like to keep an eye on him and keep him peaking."

Compliance Officer, a 5-year-old gelding, has now won two consecutive turf races by open lengths, having captured the Ashley T. Cole by 3 ½ lengths on September 11 at Belmont.

"In stakes races like that, usually it's pretty evenly matched and you don't see that," said Brown of Compliance Officer's two runaway turf victories. "In the last race and this race, he really drew off easily."

Jockey Alex Solis was also impressed.

"Alex was in here this morning, and he loves him," said Brown. "The Claiming Crown race is on opening day at Gulfstream. He said he'd go anywhere to ride him."

Earlier on New York Showcase Day, Brown had to settle for second in the McMahon Empire Classic with Green Monster and in the Posse Hudson with Dr Disco.

In the Empire Classic, Ernest J. Dahlman and Eugene E. Hauman's Green Monster set the pace under Solis through a half-mile in 47.38 before Haynesfield and Johannesburg Smile swept to the lead on the upper turn. Green Monster came back to threaten in the stretch, however, as Haynesfield was all out to prevail by one length and Johannesburg Smile yielded to finish third.

"Alex said they really caught him off guard," said Brown. "You don't expect that move at that point in race. Usually they'll wait for you to straighten away. It's hard to knock Ramon [Dominguez aboard Haynesfield] because he won the race. Obviously, he did something right. It was definitely something you don't see. At the top of the stretch, I was just hoping [Green Monster] would be able to hold on for third with the way those horses blew by him. Alex was still waiting."

Joseph DiRico's Dr Disco led in midstretch of the Posse Hudson but was unable to hold off General Maximus, who won the race for the second consecutive year.

"He's as honest as they come," said Brown of Dr Disco. "He's only been off the board once, and that was a fourth, so he's just very, very honest. I almost forget he's only 3 because he's run so many times. For him to run that kind of race against that type of horse, if he improves like most horses do from 3 to 4 we should have a good winter and a nice 4-year-old year."


 

 

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