The backstretch at Saratoga Race Course has not been a particularly pleasant place to hang out over the last couple of days. More than six inches of rain fell between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning, producing prodigious mud and puddles through which both horses and humans clopped and trudged.

None of that seemed to matter to Nicholas, Reagan, and Riley Brown, the children of trainer Bruce Brown and his wife Jennie, even though two of them had battled the slop since dawn on both Wednesday and Thursday.

A native of Bowie, Maryland, Brown has run his own stable since 2008. The youngest of seven children, he followed his older brother Steven into the business.

“There’s 20 years between us,” said Brown, sitting in his barn office with his children. “He was the first, and I was number seven. The racing bug skipped all the others in the middle, but he’s what got me into it. He had worked for [trainer] John Forbes, so that’s what I did, too. I pretty much always knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be like him.” 

With Forbes and trainer Tim Hills, Brown worked primarily at tracks in the Mid-Atlantic; on his own, he’s been based at Belmont Park. He and his family live in Floral Park, a village that sits right off Belmont’s backstretch. 

Twins Reagan and Riley are 13; their older brother Nicholas is 16. While only Nicholas is old enough to work at the track, Riley still comes to the barn every morning. 

“I just love the animals,” she said. “I love the environment and all the people. It’s just great to be around.” 

Continue reading at the Times Union…(gift link; you may need to enter an email address to read)