If there is one trainer who year after year campaigns North America Cup contenders, that trainer would be Brian Brown. This morning (May 21) Brian Brown trainee Fortify made his 2020 qualifying debut a winning one at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
The son of Sweet Lou - Cant Stop Me Now enjoyed a tasteful rookie season earning $75,151 in nine starts. Although Fortify only made one appearance in the winner's circle as a two-year-old, he did so in a big way winning an elimination of the Kentucky Sire Stakes in 1:50.3 with driver Scott Zeron at the controls.
With driver Cameron McCown at the controls, Fortify took control early and fronted competitors through fractions of :29.2, :58 and 1:27 to a mile time of 1:55, drawing away clear by over six lengths. Trainer Brian Brown was ‘fortified’ by the colt’s efforts.
“I was very happy with him today, I would have been really happy with a mile in :55 on a great track on a good day but :55 today in the rain, the track wasn't great but it was good considering how much rain we have gotten. He was very good.”
Brown also reflected on shutting the colt down after just a handful of rookie starts.
“He actually ended the year pretty good. He wasn’t as good in the Kentucky Sire Stakes Final as I thought he should be so we debated on the Breeders Crown and Adam [Bowden] said he would rather that we turn him out when he was good so that he would come back this year even better -- and I really think he did.”
The Ohio-based trainer, who is no stranger to Grand Circuit racing, noted just a couple of changes in the colt from two to three.
“He's much smarter this year and much racier. I think he was a notch below the best ones last year but the best thing about him was that he was getting better and better at the end of the year.”
Fortify victorious at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. (Nigel Soult Photo).
With the newly-announced date of the North America Cup (August 29), Brown is still optimistic that Fortify will have a chance to shine on the big stages like the N.A. Cup this summer.
“We’re still pointing him for the North America Cup -- with it being later in the year now I think there will be lots of races beforehand that will give everyone an idea of who the top 20 or so are out of the division instead of when it was earlier in the season there are more people who are willing to take a chance on entering. But, right now, he is a horse that we are still pointing to the North America Cup.
“I’ll probably skip a week with him and then I’ll see where I can go. He is still a non-winner of two [races]...I may try to get him in at Scioto. I don’t really need to be in a rush with him because I think he is better than the average horse and I’d like to keep him off of a half-mile.
“With these types of horses, everyone is going to have them ready when it’s showtime,” Brown added.