Chad Brown now has a fourth United Nations Stakes (G1) trophy to go along with his equal number of Eclipse Awards as outstanding trainer.
The New York-based conditioner won the $515,000 grass race at Monmouth Park for the fourth time July 17 when the speedy Tribhuvan, a graduate of Hidden Brook Florida, took charge early and maintained a comfortable advantage throughout. After leading by as much as five lengths, the 5-year-old Toronado gelding hit the wire two lengths ahead of Imperador to notch his second graded stakes triumph of 2021.
Carrying co-highweight of 124 pounds and breaking from the far outside post in the field of 10, Tribhuvan was hustled by jockey Flavien Prat to the front, clearing the horses drawn inside him in the 1 3/8-mile, three-turn race.
Keen for an opening quarter in :24.01, Tribhuvan eventually settled, establishing more moderate splits of :49.32, 1:15.47, and 1:40.16. The modest pace left him with enough in reserve when Prat called him into action over the final three-eighths to complete the distance in 2:15.48 over a firm course.
“I kind of sent him out there because I didn’t (want to) be too wide, so I ended up on the lead,” said Prat. “My only concern from that point was getting him back into a nice rhythm and without losing too much energy, so that’s what I did. It worked out well. I had a lot of horse under me, and he was really traveling well.”
No rival proved a threat to him in the stretch, though Imperador got closest to grab the runner-up spot, a length in front of Epic Bromance . They had stalked the pace in fourth and third, respectively.
Tribhuvan ($5.40), bred in France by Jean Charles Haimet, Elza Petit, and Hannah Petit, is one of five winners out of the unraced Next Desert mare Mahendra.
Tribhuvan went through two public auctions as a younger horse, most recently failing to meet his reserve when part of the Hotellerie consignment at the 2017 Arqana October Yearling Sale when bidding stalled at €58,000 (US$68,243).
Currently owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Caruso, Tribhuvan began racing for Brown in 2020, when he won one of three race before going to the sidelines.
This year, the gelding has elevated his performances further after wintering at the famed Hidden Brook Florida training center near Ocala. He took the Fort Marcy Stakes (G2T) in his seasonal debut and held on for second in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes (G1T) behind stablemate and the divisional leader in the turf division, Domestic Spending .
Luis Cabrera, Brown’s assistant, said the plan was to have Tribhuvan go to the front, his usual running style.
“I wasn’t worried about them catching him because these fractions weren’t all that fast,” he said. “In the Manhattan, he went :22 and change and then :46 4/5 to the half. That was much faster, and he still held strong for second. When I saw the fractions today I knew we were OK.”
edited from www.bloodhorse.com
