Time has finally run out for the Frost family’s marvellous veteran Sam Brown at the age of fourteen.
He has been a joy to train, earned £273,000 in prize money, raced for a decade and goes into retirement with his head held high.
Sam Brown was a rock-solid chaser, a great competitor, battle-hardened and one of the best I’ve had along with another hardy pensioner Regal Encore.
I was hoping we might have one last hurrah with him at Ascot but a mild tendon strain left us with the straight-forward decision to draw stumps with him on Friday.
Sam Brown won his bumper on his racecourse debut in February 2017, was successful in five of his first six starts, and was still running really well in handicaps off lofty marks in the 150’s over the last fifteen months.
He had a few niggly problems at one stage but the patience of his astute owner breeder Tim Frost was rewarded with some wonderful performances in the seasons that followed.
Among them was a victory in the £100,000 Veterans Chase Final in 2024, second place in the same race a year later, and any number of top runs in competitive handicaps.
I’d say his stand out victory was by fifteen lengths in a three mile £100,000 handicap Chase at Aintree an hour before the 2022 Grand National.
TIm, his wife Monica and all their family were there to enjoy every moment and I will never forget the look on their faces as their grand campaigner romped home.
Afterwards as we were entertained by the racecourse committee we must have watched the replay at least ten times. It was one of many happy days delivered by Sam Brown.
