American owner Peter Brant, co-owner of Betfred Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini, has moved the majority of his US-based horses away from champion trainer Chad Brown. The 79-year-old industrialist and art collector has transferred several top horses, including Breeders' Cup winner Gezora, to trainer Bill Mott and others.
Background of the Split
Brant had based his US team with five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown in New York since 2018. However, a disagreement over weight assignments in races led to the decision. Brant expressed frustration that Gezora, a French Oaks winner and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf victor, was assigned a weight penalty in her first start of the year, which he believed was unfair. Brown, however, did not view the weight as a significant factor.
Brant's Statement
Confirming the news to DRF.com, Brant said: "I don't want to take a horse that's won great classic races around the world, including the Breeders' Cup and then start picking spots where I'm spotting weight to very competitive horses in their first start of the year. Chad knows very well how I feel about the weight and it's not that important to him. He doesn't really believe it affects horses that much and I do."
Brant also moved horses to Riley Mott and Miguel Clement, but emphasized he remains on good terms with Brown. "We've won a ton of Grade 1s together and I'm very confident we haven't won our last one together," Brown said. Brant added: "I would continue to give horses to Chad, absolutely. I've done very, very well with him. I think he's a great trainer and he's a good friend."
Benvenuto Cellini's Derby Campaign
Benvenuto Cellini, a Frankel colt co-bred by Brant's White Birch Farm with Coolmore, remains with Aidan O'Brien in Europe. The colt has won three of five starts, including the Chester Vase, and is the 9-4 favourite for the Derby on June 6. He races for a partnership including Brant, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg.
Other Horses Moved
Brant co-owned Sierra Leone, winner of the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic with Brown, and owned Gezora outright. Gezora was transferred to Brown after winning the Filly & Mare Turf under Francis-Henri Graffard last year. She has now joined Bill Mott after a debut defeat for Brown in a Grade 3 race in May, where she carried a weight penalty.
Brant explained his rationale: "It's really a question of where I thought I'd be able to make the most starts. In terms of the quality of horses, they're distributed pretty equally. I wanted to get a number of horses in Kentucky so that's what I did."
