Graham Motion | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mean Mary Gets It All Her Own Way In Gallorette

Mean Mary made her 2021 debut a winning one in the Grade 3 Gallorette on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico Race Course, demonstrating the dangers for her competitors of letting her control the early pace. Luis Saez hustled the Graham Motion trainee out of the gates early and settled her into an easy lead which she never gave up, setting fractions of :25.27, :50.92, 1:15.29 and 1:37.60 for a final time of 1:43.10 on the turf. Flighty Lady chased the early pace but was no match, and Mean Mary easily kicked clear of closing efforts from Vigilantes Way and Great Island, who finished second and third, respectively.

Mean Mary was the favorite at 4-5 when the gates opened.

The 5-year-old Mean Mary was making her first start since finishing seventh in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mary Turf. That effort was only the second time she failed to finish first or second in her career. The mare, who is a homebred for Alex Campbell Jr., has wins in the G2 New York, G3 Orchid and G3 La Prevoyante to her credit.

Mean Mary is the daughter of Scat Daddy and Dynaformer mare Karlovy Vary.

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‘So Many Stars Have To Align’: Graham Motion Looks Back At Animal Kingdom’s Kentucky Derby

Trainer Graham Motion has two vivid memories from watching his star pupil Animal Kingdom win the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

“I had run horses in the Derby before and I always said, 'Right around the 3/8ths pole you start sorting out the men from the boys.' My other horses had always started backing out at the 3/8ths pole, whereas Animal Kingdom seemed like he was really getting rolling,” Motion said.

“At the 16th pole, my feelings switched to, 'This would be really cruel if they took this away from me now.' It looked like he was home free… I've had it happen to me so often, but never in a race of that scale. I just was thinking, 'This would be so cruel.' I think that's the way trainers look at things.”

Motion said what made Animal Kingdom a champion was the horse's generosity.

“He was very generous,” the trainer said. “I don't think he ever ran a bad race for me that was his fault. He, basically, did everything we asked him to do and he was just an extremely talented and generous horse.

“There's plenty of horses out there that have the ability, but you've got to be prepared to give that ability… That's not something that every person or every animal can do.”

Ten years on, Motion has deep memories of the day he won his first and, so far, only Kentucky Derby.

There was the security guard that initially blocked him from entering the paddock before the race — “the poor gentleman that stopped me has never forgiven himself and he always apologizes profusely whenever I see him” — the fact Motion and his family needed fellow trainer Dale Romans' help to find the winner's circle and the “remarkable” trophy reception afterward in the Kentucky Derby Museum.

“We have plenty of pictures. We have half of the garland of roses that we put away in a frame. and (Animal Kingdom's owner) Team Valor have the other half. Obviously, the trophy is extraordinary. It's just something I never anticipated that I would have,” Motion said.

Yet, it's something no one can ever take away.

“People probably don't appreciate quite how hard it is to get there and what it takes to get there,” Motion said. “So many stars have to align in order to win that race on that given day because you only get one shot with each individual horse.

“It took a really special horse to do it the likes of which I'm unlikely to have again. He was an extraordinary animal.”

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Motion Eyeing Defense Of New York Stakes With Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Mean Mary

Alex G. Campbell's Mean Mary is eyeing a repeat win in the Grade 2, $750,000 New York on June 4 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., as her first start of 2021 for trainer Graham Motion.

The 5-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy, out of Grade 1-winner Karlovy Vary, wintered in Florida at Palm Meadows before shipping to Motion's primary base at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. She recently breezed five furlongs in 1:02.60 on April 12.

Motion said Mean Mary missed her initial target, the 11-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay on May 1 at Belmont Park.

“It took us a while to get going with her,” Motion said. “I would have like to have made the Sheepshead Bay, but we got a little behind so we're looking at the race in June.”

Last season, Mean Mary put together three straight victories against graded stakes company. Prior to capturing the New York, she won the Grade 3 La Prevoyante and the Grade 3 Orchid last winter at Gulfstream Park. She has not raced since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Keeneland.

Motion said True Valour returned from his international endeavor in Dubai in good order and could possibly make the Grade 1, $400,000 Jackpocket Jaipur, a six-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up on June 5 at Belmont Park offering Breeders' Cup Win and You're In status.

Owned by R. Larry Johnson, Ture Valour finished sixth in the Group 1 Al Quoz Turf Sprint, arriving off stakes placings in the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez at Santa Anita [second] and the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship [third].

“He had a really weird trip in Dubai,” Motion recalled. “He seems fine back at Fair Hill. We're just taking things easy with him at the moment. He could be possible for the Jaipur.”

Motion also has New York graded stakes in mind for Invincible Gal, who has not raced since running second in the Tepin on November 29 at the Big A. The 3-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit garnered black type twice last season, finishing second in the Sorority at Monmouth Park and the Selima at Pimlico on October 3.

Owned by Mike Ryan, Jeff Drown and Team Hanley, Invincible Gal could make her seasonal bow in the seven-furlong Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly on May 15 at Belmont Park.

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IFAR: Why The Term ‘Retraining’ May Not Be Best For OTTBs

The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) kicked off its 2021 virtual conference on Tuesday with a panel of international racing leaders discussing the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare to the health of the sport.

Irish trainer Jessica Harrington, American trainers Graham and Anita Motion, Aga Khan Stud racing manager Nemone Routh and former British eventing team coach Yogi Breisner gathered to offer their thoughts on the state of aftercare and its interaction with other equestrian sports.

A few key takeaways:

Breisner, who has worked with many former racehorses, believes a language shift is in order when discussing off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). Often, the process of transitioning a horse from the track to another discipline is framed as “retraining,” but Breisner points out that conveys an implication that the horse's earlier training was somehow wrong.”Actually most racehorses I've taken don't need much true retraining,” he said. “They've already learned a lot.”
Routh said that aftercare in France, where the Aga Khan Stud is based, now receives financial support from France Galop, racing's regulatory body there. Previously it had been dependent on charitable donations, but Routh said after a certain point that was no longer sustainable. France Galop now encourages people to share their stories of their OTTBs as part of its tactic to market racing.
Also in France, racing connections are expected to pay for a horse's castration and transport to an accredited rehoming center. That can be a tough pill to swallow, especially for owners who are also discovering the horse that once had value as a racing animal may be retiring with very little market value. Routh suggests owners who set aside as modest a sum as two weeks' training fees could be enough to make sure the owner doesn't feel surprised by those retirement costs later.
Harrington believes education is key for new owners, especially those who join in as part of a large syndicate where they are able to approach racehorse ownership with no equine background or racing experience. Many don't even know a horse can live another 20 to 25 years after its racing retirement, let alone that they will need to find a new vocation for that time. “I think people don't think about it,” she said. “I think it's ignorance rather than willfully saying, 'I'm not going to look after my horse.”
Motion believes part of the key to making aftercare sustainable — particularly in the United States, where it's still so reliant on charitable giving — is to think twice about whether a horse needs to go to a retirement organization, where they will be on the organization's books for many years. Motion believes that many horses are suitable for some kind of active job where they might be useful as privately-owned animals, and that retirement sanctuaries are often asked to shoulder the burden of horses who could find vocations elsewhere.
Breisner said there could be more exchange between the racing and sport horse world as far as the education of riders. As stable help has become more difficult to find in Britain, Breisner said he sometimes has racing staff who ask to spend time training with him to improve their overall horsemanship, which benefits the racehorses they'll work with on and off the track. Likewise, he suggested that the many international racing schools that train jockeys and exercise riders could also include education on the basics of transitioning OTTBs off track. Riders who have the skills to be versatile will benefit the horses they work with.

The next IFAR virtual session will focus on aftercare for racing administrators and regulators and will take place April 13 at 8 a.m. Eastern. Registration is free and is available here.

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