Country Grammer

Country Grammer, a Tonalist colt owned by Paul Pompa Jr. and trained by Chad Brown, raced twice as a juvenile in 2019, winning his second start on Nov. 11 in a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct.

He returned for his 3-year-old season against stakes company in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 29 and ran fifth, and then checked in third in a strong allowance optional claiming race at Belmont on June 4.

Brown then pointed Country Grammer to the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan Stakes at Saratoga on July 16, which was postponed and made a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifying points race. He saved ground through the far turn and made a move for the lead on the inside, and survived some bumping with runner-up Caracaro to win by a neck, earning 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

After a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes on Aug. 8, Country Grammer was put on the shelf for the rest of his 3-year-old season. He returned with a second-place finish to Royal Ship by a neck in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Apr. 17, which was also his first start for the Bob Baffert barn.

Country Grammer faced Royal Ship again in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup on Memorial Day, May 31, at Santa Anita, and the pair dueled once again through the stretch in an exciting finish. Under strong urging from Flavien Prat, Country Grammer outfinished his rival by a head and scored a breakthrough Grade 1 victory.

Country Grammer is out of the winning Forestry mare Arabian Song and from the family of Grade 2 winner Starformer and French Group 1 winner Etoile Montante.