Brisset Has Brought Young Talent at Oaklawn

Rodolphe Brisset said he doesn’t expect to have a starter in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds Jan. 1 at Oaklawn. But the trainer has eight nominees, a number that reflects the type of stock he brought to Oaklawn for the first time as a regular.

Brisset’s 16-horse stable is flush with well-bred young talent.

“We are mainly here to develop horses for the Derby and the Oaks,” said Brisset, who started his first horse in 2017 after previously assisting Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “We have a lot of 2-year-olds. Some of them are unraced, some of them have already raced. But the goal is to see if we have anything that can qualify. It’s the right place. It’s the right races. The timing is good. Now, it all depends on how we do our job and how these horses develop.”

Brisset is no stranger to Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby prep series. He finished second in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2018 with Quip, who returned to Hot Springs a year later to capture the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses. Quip made those two starts for powerhouse owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International and SF Racing. Brisset said WinStar and the all-star conglomerate of SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables, aka “The Avengers,” are his two biggest clients.

Camp David and Great Escape are among the 2-year-old colts Brisset has for WinStar. Camp David, by Pioneerof the Nile, broke his maiden in his last start, a 1 1/16-mile off-the-turf event Oct. 16 at Keeneland. Great Escape, from the first crop of millionaire Grade 1 winner Midnight Storm, broke his maiden Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs and finished ninth in the $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity Stakes (G1) Oct. 9 at Keeneland in his last start.