Trainer Graham Motion is starting to get a little greedy.
Off the 12 graded stakes that have been contested during the Keeneland fall meet, three winners have been saddled by the man who operates Herringswell Stables. In the interest of keeping that momentum traveling at full speed, Motion is bringing a pair of entries apiece to the Oct. 20 $100,000 Sycamore Stakes (gr. IIIT) and Oct. 21 $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (gr. IIIT).
The tone for the Motion barn was set opening day when Dancing Rags captured the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I) Oct. 7. Victories by stablemates Miss Temple City in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) and Miss Ella in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (gr. IIIT) followed, and Motion brings another solid hand heading into a pair of stakes he already has some great history in.
Motion has won the last two editions of the 1 1/2-miles Sycamore Stakes with Holiday Star and has Sam-Son Farm's Canadian champion, Up With the Birds, among his two entrants this year. Previously trained by Malcolm Pierce, Up With the Birds is making his first start under Motion's care and heads into the Sycamore off a third-place finish in the $150,000 Durham Cup Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine Sept. 24.
The 6-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic has won one of six starts this season with his lone victory coming when he captured the $200,000 Nijinsky Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine July 24. Up With the Birds will break from post No. 5 in the 14-horse field and will be joined in the gate by stablemate Street Fashion.
Count the 1 1/16-miles Valley View as another spot Motion has recent mastery over, having won the race last October with Dixiana Farms' Tiger Ride.
He brings My Meadowview Farm's Tin Type Gal into the latest edition of the test off a third-place run in the Sands Point Stakes (gr. IIT) Sept. 17 in what was the seventh career start for the 3-year-old daughter of Tapit . Tin Type Gal won the Boiling Springs Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Monmouth Park July 24 and was fifth in the Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (gr. IT) Aug. 20.
While Tin Type Gal has been relatively lightly raced, she is the veteran member of the Motion entry in comparision to stablemate Quidura(GB). The Gestut Faerhof homebred is set to make her second North American start and fourth career outing, having won an allowance race going one mile on the turf at Belmont Park Sept. 18.
Among those aiming to disrupt the recent streak of success for the Motion barn is Shug McGaughey trained My Impression. Stuart S. Janney III's homebred daughter of Sky Mesa has won three of five starts this year with her two defeats coming when she finished behind Time and Motion, winner of Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane's End (gr. IT).
Keeneland, Thursday, October 20, 2016, Race 8Entries: Sycamore S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Bigger Picture (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Michael J. Maker 9/2 2 2Postulation (KY) Trevor McCarthy 121 Edward L. Graham 30/1 3 3Greengrassofyoming (KY) Florent Geroux 123 Michael J. Maker 7/2 4 4Renown (GB) Angel Cruz 121 Elizabeth Voss 8/1 5 5Up With the Birds (ON) Robby Albarado 121 H. Graham Motion 4/1 6 6Nessy (KY) Jack Gilligan 118 Jimmy Corrigan 50/1 7 7Fixador (BRZ) James Graham 121 Eduardo Caramori 30/1 8 8Bullards Alley (KY) Marcelino Pedroza 123 Tim Glyshaw 6/1 9 9One Go All Go (VA) Declan Cannon 121 Pavel Matejka 30/1 10 10Generous Kitten (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 121 Michael J. Maker 12/1 11 11Wild About You (FL) Fernando De La Cruz 121 Scott D. Mullins 50/1 12 12Behesht (FR) Joe Bravo 121 George R. Arnold, II 15/1 13 13Street Fashion (PA) Edgar S. Prado 121 H. Graham Motion 6/1 14 14Camp Creek (ON) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 118 Rachel Halden 15/1 15 15Cartoon (KY) Alexander Reznikov 121 Pavel Vashchenko 50/1
Keeneland, Friday, October 21, 2016, Race 9Entries: Pin Oak Valley View S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Leafy Shade (IRE) James Graham 118 Edward L. Graham 30/1 2 2Nobody's Fault (KY) Mitchell Murrill 118 Chris M. Block 30/1 3 3Sweet Tapper (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 118 Ian R. Wilkes 20/1 4 4Tin Type Gal (KY) Trevor McCarthy 120 H. Graham Motion 9/2 5 5Cheekaboo (CA) Kent J. Desormeaux 120 Peter Eurton 12/1 6 6Crooked Stick (KY) Sophie Doyle 118 Alex Clarkson 30/1 7 7Outsider Art (KY) Robby Albarado 118 Jonathan E. Sheppard 15/1 8 8Triple Chelsea (KY) Francisco C. Torres 118 Anthony J. Granitz 20/1 9 9Quidura (GB) Junior Alvarado 118 H. Graham Motion 4/1 10 10My Impression (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Claude R. McGaughey III 4/1 11 11Azaelia (FR) Florent Geroux 118 SIMONE BROGI 3/1 12 12Nawlins Kitty (KY) Shaun Bridgmohan 118 William B. Bradley 20/1 13 13Sky My Sky (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Mark E. Casse 15/1 14 14Linda (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 120 Ian R. Wilkes 15/1 15 15Sassy Little Lila (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Brad H. Cox 15/1
