Phillips Racing Partnership's homebred grade 1 winner Time and Motion has been retired to Darby Dan Farm, her connections announced Nov. 21.
Trained by Jimmy Toner, Time and Motion lost her last six starts and most recently finished fifth in the Oct. 28 Athenia Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park. Last season, however, the bay daughter of Tapit provided the Phillips family one of its most emotional victories when she captured the 2016 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Lane's End (G1T) at Keeneland by a head, giving her owners their sixth win in the race and first victory in that spot since Memories of Silver captured the 1 1/8-mile turf contest in 1996.
Like Memories of Silver, Time and Motion is a great granddaughter of top Darby Dan producer Golden Trail.
"She just, I think, is what we call over the top," John Phillips of Darby Dan said of the decision to retire Time and Motion. "She is perfectly sound, but I think she just doesn't want to compete anymore, which is fine. She can go home and be a momma.
"She's beautiful and she competed very aggressively against some very good horses. So she has earned her spot in the broodmare band and earned her spot to enjoy the rest of her life eating grass hopefully making some babies."
Time and Motion's victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was part of a sophomore campaign that saw her win five of seven starts, including a couple of other stakes close to connections' hearts. Her first stakes triumph came when she captured the 2016 Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and she followed that with a victory in the Wonder Again Stakes—another test named for a top Darby Dan turf distaffer.
Prior to her breakout win in the QEII, Time and Motion bested Canadian champion and multiple grade 1 winner Catch a Glimpse in the 2016 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course for her first graded win. She retires with five wins from 15 starts and $967,719 in earnings.
"We're still debating on what her mating plans might be," Phillips said. "She has a nice range because she's not too tall, not too short, good bone but not course. Her family has been great to us over the decades and I look for her to add to that heritage."
Out of the stakes-winning mare Ellie's Moment, Time and Motion's family enjoyed a banner a couple of days last week when her half siblings Momentiempo, a 3-year-old daughter of Medgalia d'Oro, and Bryzzo, a 2-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt, broke their maidens on consecutive days with the former prevailing at Aqueduct Nov. 16 and Bryzzo winning at Churchill Downs 24 hours later.
"That family is very reliable, they have great minds, and they're easy on themselves," Phillips said. "We're anticipating great things from her siblings as well."
