Shared Account Validated Motion's Faith, Wins Lake Placid

  By John Scheinman | August 21, 2009
 


Shared Account
 
photo by Adam Coglianese  
   

Off two easy wins at Laurel Park to start her career, Shared Account had trainer H. Graham Motion believing he was in possession of a very good horse.

Motion took the 3-year-old Pleasantly Perfect filly, owned by the famed Sagamore Farm, to Florida for the winter and lost back-to-back Grade 2 stakes races on the dirt by a combined 46½ lengths. Yet, Motion never lost his faith and on Friday was rewarded when Shared Account held off a determined Keertana under a light rain to win the 26th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid at Saratoga Race Course.

After stalking long shot Kiddari to the quarter pole, Shared Account moved to the front under jockey Edgar Prado and beat Keertana to the line by a length, running the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:54.62 on a turf course rated soft. As the 2.45-to-1 favorite, Shared Account paid $6.90 for a $2 win bet.

“This is the kind of filly we thought we had this winter,” Motion said. “We always thought she was this good. I think she’s a really special filly, but she’s a little one-paced… (She needs) a mile and an eighth, a mile and a quarter.”

Shared Account ran the first five races of her career on dirt but has blossomed on grass. In her first try, she finished third behind Dame Ellen in a small stakes in June at Belmont Park and followed with a strong run in the Grade 3 Virginia Oaks last month, losing to Blind Date by a head at Colonial Downs.

In the Lake Placid, Shared Account pressed the pace of Kiddari through a moderate half-mile in 50.47 seconds and six furlongs in 1:15.97. Prado had already become acquainted with her ability in the Virginia Oaks and knew what he had beneath him.

“She ran well at Colonial Downs last time, and today she broke well and was in second all the way around,” he said. “When I asked her, she gave me a big kick. (The turf course) was a little deeper at the end, but she was handling everything so well, so I was happy with that.”

Keertana, trained by Tom Proctor and ridden by Jose Lezcano, rated on the outside in fifth place in the field of seven and then cut loose four wide in the stretch.

“She might have switched over to the left lead, which might have cost her a little, but take nothing away from the winner,” Proctor said.

Katara, who placed third in the Virginia Oaks for trainer Michael Matz, finished in that position again in the Lake Placid. She was followed by Miss Keller, My Magic Moment, Consequence and Kiddari.

With the victory, Shared Account now has won four of eight lifetime starts with earnings of $190,560.

Asked about pointing Shared Account to the Breeders’ Cup, Motion said, “That would be adventurous,” but he did not discount a start next in a Grade 1 race.

“Off this today, sure,” he said. “One thing about this filly is she hasn’t run on a firm turf course yet. It will be interesting to see her on firm ground or even Polytrack.”