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Motion pleased to earn another G1 with Trikari in Belmont Derby

by NYRA Press Office

• Motion pleased to earn another G1 with Trikari in Belmont Derby
• Next’s G2 Brooklyn earns career-best 109 BSF
• Emery earns 90 BSF for G3 Victory Ride score

Trainer Graham Motion expressed his gratitude for his 32nd career Grade 1 victory as Amerman Racing’s Trikari got his head down in time to capture the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a 1 3/16-mile outer turf test for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.

The win made the son of Oscar Performance the first Grade 1 victor for his sire, and marked the first top-level score for Motion since taking the Hollywood Derby with Speaking Scout in December 2022 at Del Mar.

“It’s huge. I didn’t realize I hadn’t won a Grade 1 since 2022, and they are really hard to come by,” said Motion. “You see other trainers winning them all the time and it’s hard to do. You’ve got to have really good horses, and I feel very fortunate to have a horse of that caliber.”

Trikari scored in a thrilling stretch drive that saw the Flavien Prat-piloted White Palomino attempt to wire the field after setting moderate splits of 25 seconds flat, 50.24 and 1:14.56 over the firm footing. Trikari, under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, took a narrow advantage in the stretch after stalking in second throughout and ran on strongly as a resurgent White Palomino made one final try along the inside. Trikari would not be denied and dug in bravely to post the head victory in a final time of 1:54.71.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure he held on because Flavien came back at him, but Johnny said it was more that he kind of got to waiting a little bit,” said Motion. “He made the lead a little quicker than he wanted him to, which is interesting because Flavien said the same of his horse. Both horses were sort of victims of not wanting to be there at that time.”

The win was the second graded conquest this year for Trikari, who stunned at 47-1 with a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 2 American Turf on May 4 at Churchill Downs. Aside from a distant off-the-board effort on debut, Trikari has hit the board in each of his last six outings, his only two losses coming by a neck when second in an allowance-level sprint in February at Gulfstream Park and third in the Grade 3 Penn Mile on May 31 ahead of the Belmont Derby.

“I was a little amused that he was once again not respected, which is great for the people that keep betting him,” Motion said. “It’s just funny because he really hasn’t done anything wrong. He was green first time and he’s two necks short of being undefeated since then. He got overlooked at Churchill and I can see why, but he keeps showing up and I feel very fortunate to have him.”

Motion said his only concern with Trikari is spacing between races, noting that he is a horse that thrives on training and racing, but has run three races in two months. Motion added he may decide to skip the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course to target lucrative seven-figure races in September at Kentucky Downs, or the one-mile Grade 2 Secretariat on August 10 at Colonial Downs.

“He’s got a great attitude and is a good-feeling, happy 3-year-old colt, and I think sitting on him is difficult,” said Motion. “I’m trying to decide if we should go to Saratoga because he’s kind of dancing every dance here at the moment. Kentucky Downs is very appealing with a huge purse. The race at Colonial would be interesting shortening back up to the mile and gives him an extra week. I think that’s helpful.”

Trikari is now nearing millionaire status with total earnings of $996,630. He is out of the Motion-trained graded stakes-winner Dynamic Holiday and was a $27,500 purchase at the OBS October Yearling Sale.

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Next’s G2 Brooklyn earns career-best 109 BSF

Michael Foster’s multiple graded stakes-winner Next added a fourth graded score to his ledger with a successful title defense in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Brooklyn, a 1 3/8-mile marathon for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by William “Doug” Cowans, the 9 1/4-length triumph in a final time of 2:13.68 marked the Not This Time gray’s fifth-consecutive victory, including last year’s Brooklyn, the Listed Birdstone by 11 3/4 lengths last July at Saratoga Race Course, the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup by a widening 25 lengths in September at Parx Racing, and the Isaac Murphy Marathon by 11 1/4 lengths on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

The 6-year-old gelding earned a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure in Friday’s victory.

“That is a big number. You think the horse can’t get any better and he just keeps on improving, showing up and getting bigger numbers every time,” said Cowans.

Racing fans have speculated about how Next would fare in a less-than marathon distance race like the Spa’s 10-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 1, which is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

However, Cowans said he will likely attempt to go back-to-back in the Listed $150,000 Birdstone, a 1 3/4-mile test for older horses on August 4 at Saratoga Race Course.

“That is the plan today: the Birdstone,” Cowans confirmed. “It is hard for me to take him away from something that he really likes to do. Maybe somewhere along the line I will be forced to. I don’t see that many horses out there looking at the Birdstone, maybe if somehow the race doesn’t go, we would look at the Jockey Club Gold Cup.”

Cowans confirmed Next exited the Brooklyn in good order and is back in Kentucky.

“Everything is good. He shipped back to Kentucky yesterday. He looks great this morning,” said Cowans. “He will have a few days off but then head back to the track.”

Cowans also had high praise for jockey Luan Machado, who has piloted Next to a 7-for-8 record, including an additional graded score in the 2022 Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Keeneland.

“The goal every time with the horse is just to get him to relax. Let him break and get him off the bridle a little bit,” said Cowans. “Machado says he will relax and it took him until about the wire the other day, but once he did, he just waited for his cue to go. He’s like a sprint horse once he gets that cue.”

Next is an example of Not This Time’s versatility as a sire. He has produced graded stakes winners at a variety of distances and surfaces, including 2022 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Epicenter, 2023 Champion Turf Male Up to the Mark, in addition to this year’s Grade 1 Jaipur course-record setting turf sprinter Cogburn, among others.

Cowans said Zimmer Ridge Ranch’s Kentucky homebred Not This Boy is another strong prospect by Not This Time. The dark bay 3-year-old earned a career-best 95 Beyer for a seven-length allowance romp Thursday over sloppy and sealed footing sprinting seven furlongs at Ellis Park.

“We have another Not This Time, who we ran Thursday at Ellis Park and is kind of fast,” said Cowans. “We ran him in a seven-eighths and he was on-the-bridle waiting for his cue. He got a 95 in a never-won-two allowance.”

Out of the winning Super Saver mare Jeana Baby, the dark bay sophomore is now 3-2-1-0 lifetime.

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Emery earns 90 BSF for G3 Victory Ride score

Stonestreet Stables’ newly-minted graded stakes-winner Emery was awarded a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure for her three-quarter-length victory in Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, Emery made the grade with a well-time ride by Tyler Gaffalione, who guided her from off the pace with great momentum to collar the Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Mystic Lake in a final time of 1:15.44.

Dustin Dugas, Cox’s Belmont Park assistant, said Emery is likely headed north to Saratoga Race Course soon.

“She came back good,” said Dugas. “Tyler was really happy with her and he loves that filly. He gets along with her great, so I’m happy they can continue their success together. Saffie’s filly ran a good race and made Emery run for it a little bit.”

Emery boasts a 4-for-5 lifetime record with an additional stakes victory in the Leslie’s Lady in June at Churchill Downs. She was a $235,000 weanling purchase at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and has banked $352,548.

Dugas added that Qatar Racing’s Everso Mischievous returned well from an even fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 John A. Nerud at the Big A, and that the team did not have an immediate excuse for the off-the-board effort as the 9-5 second choice. The graded stakes-winning son of Into Mischief was making his second start off a near six-month layoff.