With jockey Geovanni Franco subbing for injured Umberto Rispoli, Antonio Fanticola's Motorious won a cavalry charge in the stretch run of the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar on Saturday.
The five-furlong turf dash is a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In Challenge Series race, giving the winner a fees-paid berth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. This year's Breeders' Cup championships will be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 3-4.
Sent off the 5-2 favorite in a field of 12 speedsters, Motorious – a 5-year-old gelding by Muhaarar bred in England – scored by 1 3/4 lengths and covered five furlongs on firm turf in :56.07. Cherubic Factor finished second, a nose ahead of Beer Can Man in third, and Turn on the Jets a half length back in fourth.
Phil D'Amato trains Motorious, along with the third- and fourth-place finishers. Motorious paid $7.20 to win.
Helladic, breaking from the outside post, set early fractions of :21.74 and :44.70 under pressure from Bus Buzz and Fast Buck. Franco had Motorious behind the early leaders, then swung wide into the stretch to launch his winning rally.
The win was the fourth in eight U.S. starts for Motorious, who began his racing career in England. His only previous graded stakes win came in the G3 San Simeon at Santa Anita in March. Motorious finished second behind Nobals in his most recent outing, the G2 TwinSpires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 6.
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