Program Trading, a Chad Brown-trained 4-year-old colt by Lope de Vega, finished the 1 1/8 miles on good turf in 1:50.30 in his first race since a victory in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) Dec. 2 at Del Mar.
Prat opted for the rail, found just enough room and Program Trading was up in the final strides.
Program Trading now has five wins from six starts for his owner, Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables. He won his first two starts at Monmouth Park and Belmont Park in 2023, then jumped right into grade 1 company, winning the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) by a head over Webslinger last August. He’s among the many Grade 1 winners who’ve spent time at the bucolic Hidden Brook Florida training facility in Central Florida.
“We had a great trip,” Prat said. “We were able to save ground as much as we could. A great job by Chad and his team to get him ready after such a long layoff.”
His only loss came in the Virginia Derby (G3T) at Colonial Downs Sept. 9 when he was second to a late-running Integration.
Naval Power suffered his second straight tough beat. A winner in both his starts during the World Cup Carnival meeting in Dubai, he was second behind Godolphin stablemate Master of The Seas in his first United States start, the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland April 12. He now has six wins and two seconds for trainer Charlie Appleby.
It was the second Turf Classic win for the Klarman-Brown-Prat axis. They won the 2021 renewal with Domestic Spending —the third straight victory in the race for Brown.
The 1 1/8-mile Turf Classic has been won by some of America’s best turf horses over the years, including 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar , who started the Brown three-peat.
