Search

Family bond lands My Brothers Keeper at Sandown

My Brothers Keeper has supplied jockey Stephen Brown junior with his maiden city win.

MY BROTHERS KEEPER winning the Sportsbet Feed Handicap at Sportsbet Sandown Lakeside in Springvale, Australia.
MY BROTHERS KEEPER winning the Sportsbet Feed Handicap at Sportsbet Sandown Lakeside in Springvale, Australia. Picture: Racing Photos

Trainer Stephen Brown rarely lets his emotion spill out, but the Seymour-based horseman almost allowed them to bubble over when My Brothers Keeper scored at Sandown

My Brothers Keeper provided Brown's son Stephen junior with his first metropolitan winner when they took out the Sportsbet Feed Handicap (2100m) on Wednesday. 

The victory completed a full circle for Brown junior who was seriously injured in a fall in a Wangaratta trial in September 2019. 

Brown junior spent three-and-a-half weeks in an induced coma after suffering head trauma, neck fractures, a punctured lung and broken ribs and did not make his return to race riding until September last year, despite his parents wishing he would not. 

But Brown junior would not give up on his dream and in a rail hugging ride was able to land My Brothers Keeper ($5.50) a short-head winner over Wagga Wagga ($4) with the $3.30 favourite Mr I'm A Believer a further 1-¾ lengths away third. 

In a heart-warming moment, the Brown father-and-son team embraced soon after Brown junior had weighed in. 

"I don't think I'll be able to shut him up for a week, but I'm just over the moon for him," Brown senior said. 

"I don't get very excited that often, but I'm really excited. 

"My wife tried to talk him out of riding again recently, but he said that he wants to ride, just like I wanted to do. 

"I felt something was missing if I wasn't riding, and I understand where he was coming from." 

Brown junior said he had proved everyone wrong by not only making a comeback to race riding, but capturing that elusive city win. 

One of the tallest jockeys riding in Australia, Brown junior has to work hard to keep the weight down but said it was one of his proudest moments to achieve his maiden city win to go with his previous 43 race victories. 

"Everyone told me that I shouldn't, or I can't, but I proved them wrong," Brown junior said. 

"I can't thank my family enough, especially my mum, who is at home with the horses this afternoon, and my partner Stacey. 

"It was a really big thing that everyone had to go through, so I'm happy that I came through and toughed it out and his feels pretty good, but I can't explain it. 

"It's a big relief." 


Racing and Sports



Sandown-Lakeside Wednesday, 14th August 2024

1m2f97y TURF GOOD
AUD $50,000

Sportsbet Feed Handicap

AUD $50,000
Age: 3yo and up Type: BM64
1m2f97y TURF GOOD
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 3. MY BROTHERS KEEPER (AUS) 5yo G
FIORENTE (IRE) - ANY DANE NOW (AUS)
STEPHEN BROWN JNR
STEPHEN BROWN
$5.5
61kg
Gleneagles Stud Pty Ltd (Mgr: K J Wacey), G J Silcock, A J Cipriano & G A Williamson
2nd 5. WAGGA WAGGA (IRE) 5yo G
AUSTRALIA (GB) - QUIZ MISTRESS (GB)
MARK ZAHRA
CIARON MAHER
$4
60kg
Australian Bloodstock, The Lads Of Merewether, L C Tamassy, J Mcdonnell, S A Zunneberg, Shenanigans, Cityshapers, T J Pender, N R Reynolds, A J Blackshaw, Walfam 4, D J Mcgrath, The Dream, M A Ferrari, C H Delosa, S G Rielly, M Karam & J Hill Racing, Silver Medal, Just For Fun 7 & Wagga Wagga
3rd 7. MR I'M A BELIEVER (IRE) 5yo G
MAKE BELIEVE (GB) - KIMOLA (IRE)
LUKE NOLEN
PETER G MOODY & KATHERINE COLEMAN
$3.3
59.5kg
Wylie Dalziel Roy Higgins Racing (Mgr: W J Dalziel), Make Believe (Mgr: W J Dalziel), G H E Goyne, P J Cormack, J T C Lake, Maverick Racing (Mgr: G S McCormack), K H Warriner, D A Williams, P Esse, P Talbert, G W Henry, W M Patullo, C De Bortoli, P A Kennedy, M V Bolam & Ms R Meadmore

Sales Information

4th 4. SUPERSTOCK (NZ) 5yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - SISTABEEL (AUS)
BRAD RAWILLER
M & L KAVANAGH
$6
60kg

Sales Information

5th 9. NOTHINGELSEMATTERS (AUS) 4yo G
SIDESTEP (AUS) - ORBITING BELLE (AUS)
CRAIG WILLIAMS
MS N M BURKE
$6
59kg

Sales Information

6th 8. RED ON RED (AUS) 7yo G
MAGNUS (AUS) - YASEY SAN (AUS)
BEN ALLEN
JOHN PASCOE
$11
59.5kg
7th 10. WHIRLY JIG (AUS) 6yo G
FIORENTE (IRE) - CAROUSEL QUEEN (AUS)
CRAIG NEWITT
K & K KEYS
$81
57kg
8th 6. I COULD DO BETTER (IRE) 8yo G
CANFORD CLIFFS (IRE) - SHEBELIA (GER)
THOMAS STOCKDALE
MRS JULIE TAYLOR
$61
59.5kg

Sales Information

today's racing

Error occured
{{disciplineGroup.DisciplineFullText}}
{{course.CountryName || course.Country}}