The first group produced only three starts and two seconds as 2-year-olds in 2021, but the Capeks stuck with the plan for a second round of yearlings and were rewarded with Blazing Sevens.īlazing Sevens training Oct. Pete has provided some valuable counsel in setting them up.' 'They bought a diverse group of horses through Pete and gave themselves a good chance for success, buying turf and dirt horses. 'I thought they would be a good match with Pete,' the four-time Eclipse Award winner said. He took a break after a few years and in 2020, through a mutual acquaintance (Dan Pickett), he had lunch with Brown and began mapping out plans to re-enter the business through buying a few yearlings.įor Brown, step one in the process was introducing them to Bradley to serve as their agent. Included in that group of runners was House of Grace, who ran third in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. He has been a horse racing fan since his youth, and became an owner about 14 years ago when he bought a share of some horses with trainer Ken McPeek's Magdalena Racing. John Capek, 60, grew up in Troy, N.Y., not far from Brown's hometown of Mechanicville. We've had to stop on horses, and the discussion has always been what do we have to do to help the horse and get him better.'

They understand there might not be good phone calls. In my opinion, they have the right approach to the sport and the horses. 'They are very compassionate about animals. 'They deserve to have some success right away. They are brilliant, big-hearted people that I've learned a lot from,' Brown said. 'I believe you make your own luck, and John and Carla are successful through being good people and being smart. Yet luck alone does not explain their success story. Winning a grade 1 stakes before a stable's 25th start is surely a stroke of good fortune. His sire handled two turns in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and we're hoping he can as well.'Ĭonsidering how the Capeks have about a dozen horses and Blazing Sevens hails from just the second group trained by Brown and bought by bloodstock agent Peter Bradley on their behalf, it would seem as if Carla's luck at the blackjack table has trickled down to the racing operation. 'Blazing Sevens continues to progress and he's doing great. 'We're looking forward to Friday,' said John Capek, a sales manager for Abbott Laboratories who lives in Illinois. Blazing Sevens wins the Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack

Blazing 7s