Sunday, June 24, 2012

· Martin Schwartz’s Bowman’s Causeway has missed a cheque just once in seven career outings and, in the process, has hooked some of the best three-year-olds on the continent.

· So, he’s certainly a horse to be considered in any discussion about the Queen’s Plate, especially when he showed perseverance in his Woodbine debut, June 5 in the Plate Trial, when finishing second to Check Your Soul.   He also has a jockey, Eurico Rosa da Silva, who is unbeaten in the Plate, a perfect two-for-two after steering Eye of the Leopard in 2009 and Big Red Mike in 2010 to the winner’s circle.

· The Plate Trial was Bowman’s Causeway’s first crack on Polytrack, and even though he was swallowed up by Check Your Soul turning for home, eventually finishing three and one-quarter lengths behind the possible Plate favourite, it was still a good effort, considering it was also his first outing in over two months. 

· It was also the first time he’d run under the care of trainer Chad Brown.   In his previous six starts, he was trained by Patrick Biancone.   Brown got the horse shortly after the Florida Derby in April.

· “I thought the horse ran well,” said Brown, about the Plate Trial.  “I thought the winner (Check Your Soul) was very impressive.   It was the horse’s first start for me.    I was encouraged.  I think we have him back on track. The horse probably needed the race.  He was coming off a little bit of a break.   So I was encouraged with how he ran and optimistic about what he got out of the race.”

· Bowman’s Causeway was purchased for $110,00o (US) at the Adena Springs two-year-olds in training spring sale of 2010.   His sire, Giant’s Causeway, was known as the ‘Iron Horse,’ who won five Group 1’s in Europe during his banner 2000 season, then just missed winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic, falling a neck short of Tiznow that year.   He was Europe’s Horse of the Year and retired to stud with over $3 million in earnings.   His dam, Victory Encounter, took the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in May of 2004, during a 14-race career which saw her earn over $430,000.

· After one start as a two-year-old, when he finished a good third to Mucho Macho Man at Monmouth Park, Bowman’s Causeway took to the Kentucky Derby trail in Florida.

· He broke his maiden going one and one-eighth miles on February 11 at Gulfstream Park, then was stepped up to stakes company in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, February 26, when he finished fourth to Soldat, nine and one-quarter lengths behind, but certainly wasn’t disgraced.

· Three weeks later, he tried allowance company and finished third, one and three-quarter lengths behind Dance City and Cal Nation.   But, just two weeks after that, on April 3, the roof fell in, as Bowman’s Causeway came home an eased up eighth in the mile and one-eighth Grade 1 Florida Derby, 45 lengths behind Dialed In and Shackleford, with To Honour and Serve third.

· “I can only comment on the horse once he entered my care,” said Brown.  “I just dealt with the basics, started from square one.  I freshened him up a little bit, gradually increased his training and observed him.  So I’m still learning about him a little bit.  I already trained horses for Mr. Schwartz so it was just a transfer of one of his horses from one trainer to another.”

· “I would say he’s a pretty high-strung horse…not unmanageable by any means, but definitely high-strung.   He’s not a big, heavy horse that’s going to carry a little weight on him.  He keeps himself a little on the light side...that’s how he is.   We just need to work on getting the horse to focus on channeling his energy into running and training, rather than the other stuff.  And he’s learning about that.  I think he has a lot of talent, so if he channels it in the right direction, he’ll have a nice career for himself.”

· Bowman’s Causeway had his final Plate blowout Sunday at Saratoga, breezing four furlongs in a bullet :49 1/5.

A native of New Haven, Connecticut who now resides in Gulf Stream, Florida, Martin Schwartz made his fortune in the stock market as a Wall Street trader.  He was profiled in the national bestseller “Market Wizards” by Jack D. Schwager and wrote his own book - "Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street's Champion Trader" - published by Harper Collins in 1998.

            He became an owner in 2000 when he purchased a horse named Bowman’s Band.  Trained by Hall of Famer H. Allen Jerkens, Bowman’s Band won the 2003 Meadowlands Cup and was eventually retired to stud in Maryland after earning more than $1.2 million.           Although Schwartz has operated a relatively small racing stable over the years, he has enjoyed remarkable success.  Four of his fillies won graded stakes  - Angara (2005) and Gorella (2006) each scored in the Grade 1 Beverly D at Arlington Park. Schwartz had acquired the French-bred Gorella, a group winner overseas, in a  private purchase in 2005. She was retired in early ’07, bred to Giant’s Causeway and sold to a Japanese buyer.

            He also owned millionaire Lady of Venice, Asi Siempre, second in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff before being disqualified, Silver Cup, winner of the 2006 Santa Anita Handicap and Elusive Heat.

            But as European prospects became ‘overpriced’, Schwartz began to purchase yearlings/two-year-olds again, either privately or at auction, hence Bowman’s Causeway.

Born in Saratoga, N.Y. in 1977, Chad Brown first worked summers f0r Claude ‘Shug’ McGaughey doing the usual entry level jobs – hot-walking, grooming, etc., before becoming his foreman.

            He then joined the Bobby Frankel operation for five years, splitting his time initially between southern California and Saratoga, before overseeing Frankel’s divisions in Kentucky, Monmouth and Gulfstream. During that time, horses such as Ghostzapper, Intercontinental, Empire Maker and Medaglia d'Oro were the stable stars.

            He also saddled Ginger Punch to win the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Monmouth Park  when his boss and mentor Frankel elected to stayed in California.

            Brown ventured out on his own shortly thereafter and won his first race with Dual Jewels, November 23 at Churchill Downs.  He also won a Breeders’ Cup race in his first attempt, sending out Maram to win the 2008 Juvenile Fillies Turf.

            One of the best horses in his barn has been veteran Silver Timber, a multiple stakes-winning turf sprinter who he claimed for only $25,000 in April 2009.

            Other stakes winners for Brown include Tiz Blessed, who he shipped to Woodbine last year to win the Display Stakes, Expansion, Picou, Kid Kate, Yawkey Way, Tottie [GB] and Dame Ellen.