Motion Maidens Graduate in Style Friday at Laurel; Trainer Sweeps Trio of 2-Year-Old Dirt Races
Motion Maidens Graduate in Style Friday at Laurel; Trainer Sweeps Trio of 2-Year-Old Dirt Races
Trainer Sweeps Trio of 2-Year-Old Dirt Races
LAUREL, MD – Fair Hill-based trainer Graham Motion was on hand to watch his horses sweep all three maiden races for 2-year-olds, running first and second in two of them, on Friday’s nine-race program at Laurel Park.
Pin Oak Stud homebred Zestful, a chestnut son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, rolled to a 2 ¾-length victory in the opener, completing about 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.15 under jockey Feargal Lynch. Wertheimer and Frere homebred Lonely Weekend, by another Hall of Fame sire in Tiznow, was second in his fourth start for Motion.
Zestful ($10) was making his third start and first with Lasix after finishing second in a similar spot Oct. 30 at Laurel. He was unhurried racing fourth Friday before getting his cue from Lynch on the far turn and drawing away.
“I think he’s learned from his races. I think the experience really helped him,” Motion said. “He’s a very easy horse, he’s just not a real overly aggressive horse. But I was very happy with how he ran. The two turns really helped him today.”
RMJ Stables’ Mihrab ($4.80), a bay daughter of Tiznow, was kept in the clear from the far outside post before collaring her Motion-trained stablemate Safwah at the top of the stretch and opening up to capture the seven-furlong spring for 2-year-old fillies by 5 ¾ lengths in 1:25.91 in her second career start.
Safwah was making her race debut for RMJ Stables, which paid $485,000 for the half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Always Dreaming by Medaglia d’Oro at Keeneland’s November 2015 breeding stock sale.
“She really did it nicely. It surprised me a little bit how easily she did it but she obviously improved a lot for having had her first race,” Motion said of Mihrab. “Probably the other filly, running first time, she got a little tired. I think they’re both really nice fillies. I think we’ll keep them here for now if the weather stays good. They both handle the dirt well here. We’re not going to be in a hurry to go anywhere.”
Augustin Stable’s Live Large ($19) rallied up the inside under J.D. Acosta and got her nose down on the wire to edge 1-5 favorite In Jail to complete Motion’s sweep of the $40,000 maiden special weight events, completing 5 ½ furlongs in 1:06.16.
Live Large is a Florida-bred daughter of Rattlesnake Bridge purchased in April as a 2-year-old in training for $85,000. Motion’s other filly in the race, SF Racing’s first-time starter Smashing Serena, finished fifth.
“She’d shown quite a lot in the morning, Live Large, and she’s pretty quick so I wasn’t too surprised. I was surprised the way she won and came back. J.D. did a great job,” Motion said. “She was very game, very tenacious, for a 2-year-old to come back like that. I’ve got to come to the races more often.”
