Chad C. Brown, born on December 18, 1978, is a highly acclaimed American racehorse trainer. His journey in the world of horse racing is marked by significant achievements, including Triple Crown race victories and numerous Breeders' Cup wins.
Brown was born and raised in Mechanicville, New York. His passion for horses began early, inspired by family trips to Saratoga Race Course. During high school, he gained practical experience with Standardbreds at Saratoga Raceway, learning the basics of breaking and training horses.
While pursuing a degree in animal science at Cornell University, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian, Brown took a summer job with Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Starting as a hot-walker, he quickly advanced to a groom, before earning the role of foreman.
He took an internship with a veterinarian then accepted an opportunity to work for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel in 2002. Brown credits Frankel's training methods, particularly his focus on each horse's unique strengths, as the foundation of his future success.
In 2007, Brown gained national attention at the Breeders' Cup, when he stepped in for Frankel, who could not be at the races, saddling Ginger Punch to victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Shortly after, Brown established his own stable with a small string of ten horses, including those owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and Gary and Mary West.
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In 2009, Brown won his first New York Racing Association training title at the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet. In 2010, Brown saddled 17 winners at Saratoga Race Course finishing third in the standings.
In 2011, Brown won his first career Grade I race with the French-bred mare Zagora in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Just two weeks later, he secured his second Grade I victory with Stacelita, in the Beverly D. The following year, 2012, Zagora won several major stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Brown took over the training of Juddmonte Farm's Flintshire in 2016, who then won the Manhattan Stakes (G1) in his first start under Brown. On August 24 at Saratoga, Brown earned his 1,000th career win with Mr. Maybe in the John's Call Stakes.
Brown dedicated Cloud Computing's Preakness Stakes win to Frankel, stating that, "I feel this is for him..."
СУПЕР ТИМСПИК GAMBIT (vs. Fnatic Eleague Major 2017)
Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Successes
Brown won his first Triple Crown race in 2017 with Cloud Computing in the Preakness Stakes, an upset victory at odds of 13:1. Later that year, Good Magic captured the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award for Champion Two Year Old Colt. Additionally, Lady Eli who recovered from a severe case of laminitis under Brown's care, became the Champion Turf Female.
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These successes and 16 other Grade I wins led to his second Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer. In 2018, Brown had 20 Grade 1 victories and 47 graded wins overall, earning $27,546,057. At the Breeders' Cup, Newspaperofrecord won the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Sistercharlie triumphed in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Brown's fourth win in that specific race, the most by any trainer.
Brown set a North American record in 2019 with $31,112,144 in earnings, the highest ever for a trainer in a single year. His achievements included three more Breeders' Cup victories, bringing his career total to fifteen, placing him third all-time among trainers.
In 2022, Brown picked up his second win in a Triple Crown race when Early Voting, owned by Cloud Computing’s co-owner Klaravich Stables, took the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. In the fall, Brown increased his total Breeders' Cup wins to 16.
He won his eighth consecutive year-end NYRA training title, and was ranked number one in the North America Training rankings, leading the United States in earnings with a total of $31,057,362, with 244 wins, and 51 Graded Stakes victories.
Chad Brown added another Breeders' Cup victory to his career tally in 2022 when his 4-year-old filly Goodnight Olive won the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland.
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On Future Stars Friday at the 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships, Brown netted his 13th career win in the event when Structor closed powerfully to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America, giving Brown his first win in that race. The next day, Brown enjoyed another day of firsts.
Two days after winning the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer for the third consecutive time, Brown celebrated on Jan. 26, 2019, at a rain-soaked Gulfstream Park when Bricks and Mortar took the inaugural running of the $7 million Pegasus World Turf Cup Invitational, the richest grass race in North America.
In 2024, Brown won his fifth Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in the United States as well as winning the American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse with Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone was part of a dramatic three-way photo finish in Kentucky Derby, finishing second, and won the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Near Success in the Kentucky Derby
In 2018, Brown finished second in the Kentucky Derby with Good Magic, who later won the betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes.
In 2024, Sierra Leone was part of a dramatic three-way photo finish in Kentucky Derby, finishing second. It took several minutes after the race was finished for Mystik Dan to be named the winner by a nose in a photo finish with Sierra Leone, one of the favorites at 3-1, close behind.
The 3-year-old, trained by Chad Brown, provided a lot of optimism after winning his last two races but couldn't catch Mystik Dan in the end. Sierra Leone was part of a dramatic three-way photo finish in Kentucky Derby, finishing second.
Each member of the group that spent $2.3 million to buy him at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Yearling Sale in 2022 has a unique story and background. They represent four different countries but are united by Sierra Leone.
New York native Peter Brant has a long-standing history in horse racing but took a 20-year hiatus to play polo. He retired from the sport in 2016 and returned to horse racing. Prior to leaving horse racing, Brant owned a share of 1984 Derby winner Swale but hasn’t had a winner since then.
Fellow American and Clemson University alumnus Brook Smith was born and raised in Oldham County and didn’t get into horse racing until he was in his 30s. But the sport became a passion, with the Kentucky native exploring the philanthropic side of horse racing. He co-owns the luxury five-star beachfront resort Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados, where he lives.
Michael Tabor, who’s from the East End of London, has many business ventures including the paper mill industry, magazine publishing and art collecting.
John Magnier used to own Manchester United and is currently a managing partner of Ireland-based Coolmore Stud, the world’s largest thoroughbred breeding operation. Derrick Smith joined the company in 2005.
Ireland native Susan Magnier, John’s wife, is the daughter of legendary Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien, who won 42 classic races in Europe during his career.
The group took a trip to Louisville to see if Sierra Leone could give them one more commonality as a Derby winner. "We're a little lighter this year with 3-year-olds," Brown said Jan. 15. "Now that I've come very close in the Derby with horses like Sierra Leone (second by a nose last year) and Good Magic (second in 2018) the bar is high in terms of my experience of what it takes if you intend to win the race. The Tampa Bay Derby offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers while the Blue Grass is worth 100-50-25-15-10 points.
"I want to try and make the Tampa Bay Derby and then the Blue Grass, just because it's convenient and close and I am trying to make up ground with him," said Brown who will be prepping the son of McKinzie for his 3-year-old campaign at Payson Park in Florida. Winner of last year's Hopeful Stakes (G1), Chancer McPatrick has won three of four starts for earnings of $535,000.
Brown said Three Chimneys Farm's homebred Aviator Gui , runner-up in the Remsen Stakes (G2), had a slight setback and could be pointed toward the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes (G2) for his 3-year-old debut.
With the son of Uncle Mo out of the picture for the Feb. 1 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, Brown said Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Treaty of Rome (Uncle Mo), second in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and Jan.
Chad Brown's Notable Achievements
The following table summarizes some of Chad Brown's key accomplishments in horse racing:
| Achievement | Year |
|---|---|
| First Triple Crown Race Win (Preakness Stakes) | 2017 |
| Second Triple Crown Race Win (Preakness Stakes) | 2022 |
| North American Record Earnings | 2019 |
| Fifth Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer | 2024 |
| Breeders' Cup Classic Win | 2024 |
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