SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In a most apropos conclusion to the 2024 Saratoga meet, Chancer McPatrick overcame a terrible start to rally seven wide in the stretch and outfinish heavily favored Ferocious to win Monday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes by a half-length on closing day of the 40-day stand.
It was apropos because Chancer McPatrick is trained by Chad Brown and was ridden by Flavien Prat, who both had record-setting summers at the Spa.
Brown also won the race immediately following the Hopeful to give him five wins on Monday’s card and 45 for the meet – one shy of his Saratoga record of 46 set in 2018. However, it was his 15th stakes win and 13th graded stakes, both records for a single summer meet here. It also was Brown’s sixth Grade 1, potentially a record as well.
“A meet for the ages,” Brown said. “It’s hard to even imagine a meet like this for myself or for any trainer really.”
For Prat, it was his 18th stakes win, 14th graded, and seventh Grade 1 – all single-meet records. His 45 wins were good enough for second in the standings, but his $6.6 million in purse money led all riders.
Brown and Prat combined to win 18 races, eight graded stakes.
The Hopeful may have been the most difficult win Prat had all summer.
Chancer McPatrick, breaking from post 8, veered in and hit the starting gate, causing Prat’s left foot to come out of the irons. Prat smoothly put his foot back in, but he was last a furlong into the race.
“Honestly, the way he broke I lost so much ground I was just trying to give him a good race and see if he would make a run,” Prat said. “But I got to the three-eighths pole and I felt like I had horse underneath me and I was like well, I’ll give him a chance, and he responded right away.”
Brown, initially unaware of the trouble Chancer McPatrick had at the gate, said, “How impressive was that?”
Brown said when he saw Chancer McPatrick that far back early on, he started watching his other entrant, Incentive Pay.
“Then [Chancer McPatrick] crept into my eye when he got behind them, I said ‘Well, he’s got a lot to do, he’s got to make up a lot of ground to get there,’ ” Brown said. “He ran a remarkable race. He’s a serious horse. He always acted like one, and I was happy to see him do it.”
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In the stretch, Chancer McPatrick came outside of Ferocious who looked like he was stalled in upper stretch. But Ferocious, under Irad Ortiz Jr., re-engaged when Chancer McPatrick came outside of him, but his late run fell a half-length short.
“Turning for home, I started working on him, he lost a little focus, so I went a little aggressive on him but he didn’t really give it to me until that horse got close to me,” said Ortiz, who was subbing for an injured Javier Castellano. “When that horse got outside of me, he turned his engines on to be honest.”
Chancer McPatrick, a son of McKinzie owned by Sean Flanagan, covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.44 and returned $10.80 as the second choice. He earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
According to Ramiro Restrepo, who represents part of the ownership group, Ferocious lost his left front shoe in the race.
Ferocious finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Incentive Pay, Brown’s other horse in the race. Smoken Wicked was fourth, followed by Innovator, Mentee, Studlydoright, Tough Catch, and Mr. Mendelslew.
Chancer McPatrick was purchased out of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March 2-year-olds in training sale for $725,000. Earlier in the sale, Ferocious was purchased for $1.3 million. According to Brown, Flanagan was the underbidder on Ferocious.
“The only reason we bought this horse was because we didn’t get him and here they were at the wire those two horses,” Brown said.
Brown said Joel Rosario, the rider of Incentive Pay, told him going to the inside in the stretch may not have been the best move.
“He said maybe I should have waited and went outside, so he felt potentially he had a chance to win with a different path,” Brown said. “I got two nice colts.”
And one nice summer.
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