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Motion: New York Performance Moves Mean Mary To ‘The Next Level’

Alex G. Campbell Jr.'s homebred Mean Mary, with Luis Saez up, showed no mercy in a frontrunning tour de force to capture the Grade 2, $250,000 New York; a 1 1/4-mile turf route on a rainy Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The dark bay daughter of Scat Daddy, out of the Grade 1-winning Dynaformer mare Karlovy Vary, earned a career-best 101 Beyer, breaking triple digits for the first time. She improved her record to five wins from seven starts, including the last four on the trot which includes scores in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante and Grade 3 Orchid at Gulfstream Park.

“She just continues to impress and amaze me with the ease that she does things. Yesterday's performance puts her to the next level,” said Motion. “It was in the back of our minds that her most impressive performances had been at Gulfstream on a fast, firm turf course, but now it's a whole new ball game doing what she did yesterday at Belmont.”

Motion said Saez, undefeated in four starts aboard Mean Many, was all smiles after the impressive score.

“I don't ever remember seeing a jockey get off a horse and get such a kick out of riding her. That's pretty cool to see,” said Motion. “And I think the mare really enjoys it. She just loves getting out there and is so determined. I sometimes wonder if she knows there are horses behind her. She showed yesterday that she's special.”

Motion said the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana, a nine-furlong test on August 23 at Saratoga, is a logical next spot for Mean Mary as he charts a course to the 1 3/16-miles Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on November 7 at Keeneland.

“The decision will be where to go next in order to get her to the Breeders' Cup. I think the mile and an eight and being a Grade 1 makes sense,” said Motion regarding the Diana. “It's a strong possibility, but it's a long way off. She's had plenty of racing this mare, and I don't want to overdo it with her in order to have her at her best at the end of the year.

“Mr. Campbell is from Lexington and Keeneland is his favorite racetrack,” added Motion. “For me, to be able to get her to the Breeders' Cup, there would be a dream.”

Andrew Stone's Mrs. Sippy scratched out of the New York, but Motion said the 5-year-old Blame mare is under consideration for the River Memories on July 12 Closing Day of the Belmont spring/summer meet, or the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial on July 11 at Delaware Park.

“We took her to the starting gate on Thursday as she hadn't run for over six month and she tied up a little bit so that excluded her from being able to run on Saturday,” said Motion. “There's a race up there in two weeks and there's also the Robert Dick at Delaware, which is where she'll probably end up.”

Mrs. Sippy captured the Grade 2 Glens Falls in August in her North American debut for Motion. Following a second in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont in October, she was off-the-board in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Crystal Cliffs, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez up, missed by a head to Harvey's Lil Goil in Saturday's Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs in just her second start for Motion.

The 3-year-old Canford Cliffs bay graduated in December at Pau in her native France for former conditioner Didier Guillemin and won at first asking for Motion in a May 31 allowance event at Churchill Downs.

Motion said he will point Canford Cliffs to the $500,000 Saratoga Oaks, a 1 3/16-miles turf test at Saratoga.

“I really like her. Johnny was frustrated yesterday. We felt with a different trip or another jump she wins the race,” said Motion. “She was a little unlucky. Logically, we'll point her for the mile and three-sixteenths race at Saratoga.

“We ran her back pretty quickly in four weeks, which I don't like to do first race after a layoff but the race yesterday made sense. She's a real quality filly.”

Motion boasts a strong contingent of sophomore fillies this season, including popular Maryland-bred Sharing who won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November and was a strong second last out in the Group 1 Coronation on June 1 at Ascot.

“We've got some really nice 3-year-old fillies this year. It's very exciting,” said Motion.

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Mean Mary Leads All The Way In New York Stakes For Fourth Straight Win

Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary broke sharp from the outside post, led the six-horse field through every point of call and extended her lead in the stretch for a front-running 5 1/4-length score in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 New York for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trainer Graham Motion saw Mean Mary start her 4-year-old campaign with consecutive graded stakes wins at Gulfstream Park, starting with the Grade 3 La Prevoyante in January and the Grade 3 Orchid on March 28.

The Scat Daddy filly improved to 3-for-3 in her 2020 campaign, with Luis Saez sending her to the front, where she posted comfortable fractions of 25.11 seconds for the quarter-mile, 51.55 for the half and three-quarters in 1:16.28 on the inner turf course labeled firm even after a slight rain shower earlier.

Out of the far turn, Saez kept Mean Mary driven as she pulled away from the field, completing the 1 ¼-mile course in a final time of 2:01.85.

Mean Mary won for the fourth straight time overall and improved to 5-1-0 in seven career starts. Saez has been aboard for every start during the winning streak.

“I had a lot of confidence in her today,” Saez said. “She always does everything right. Today, she was just galloping. The track feels good today and I think the rain helped her. She was super relaxed, even more so than her last race. She feels better now than she did last time.”

Off at 6-5, Mean Mary returned $4.40 on a $2 win wager. The Kentucky homebred improved her career earnings to $396,160.

“You always wonder a little bit about Florida; did she just suit that course? But this is so different than running at Gulfstream,” Motion said. “The way she did it was pretty impressive. I worried a little bit. You always worry a little bit with that much time away and I wanted to keep her fresh, but she also had to be fit.

“The course took a little bit of rain, but it's so different than what she had been running on,” he added. “I think she might be one of those horses where you don't have to make too many excuses.”

My Sister Nat, one of two entrants for trainer Chad Brown, edged the Christophe Clement-trained Feel Glorious by a neck for second after rallying from sixth. That marked the second straight race the French-bred daughter of Acclamation finished as the runner up, following her North American graded stakes debut in the Grade 3 Long Island in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Call Me Love, also trained by Clement, ran fourth, followed by the Brown-conditioned Fools Gold and Valiance to complete the order of finish. Mrs. Sippy was scratched.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card headlined by the $100,000 Bouwerie for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on Belmont's Big Sandy in Race 8 at 5:04 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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Mean Mary Getting ‘Better And Better,’ Takes On New York Stakes At Belmont

Trainer Graham Motion will saddle a pair of graded stakes winners as part of a seven-horse field of older fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf on Saturday.

The New York is one of four graded stakes on a packed 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf and also featuring the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs, and the Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up contesting at 6 ½ furlongs, also on the main track. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

Among Motion's trainees is Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary, who has started her 4-year-old campaign with consecutive graded stakes wins in front-running fashion. The Kentucky homebred went gate-to-wire to win the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 La Prevoyante in January over the Gulfstream Park turf and followed with another winning effort on the course by leading a 12-horse field through every point of call in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Orchid on March 28, registering a personal-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure. She has won her last three starts overall, ranging from 1 1/8 miles to a mile and a half.

“Her career took off in Florida,” Motion said. “We thought from her first race that she was talented and it seems like she's gotten better and better. The first time I ran her in the longer stake, it was more because of the circumstances and lack of options. I just thought it was something she could handle, but clearly it was something she was looking to do.”

A daughter of Scat Daddy, Mean Mary is 4-1-0 in six career starts, with her only off-the-board finish coming in her lone main track start when fifth on debut in September. Once Motion moved her to grass, she has won four of her last five and finished as the runner-up in the other contest, a one-mile allowance at Aqueduct Racetrack, in November.

“She's a filly who had shown some ability in the morning and handled dirt well enough, but it's probably not a surprise that she improved on the grass.”

Luis Saez, aboard for the last three wins, will have the return call from the outside post.

Her stablemate, Andrew Stone's Mrs. Sippy, will be making her first start since running ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Santa Anita.

After making her first nine starts in Europe, Mrs. Sippy arrived in the United States last summer, where she promptly won her first appearance for Motion by rallying from last-of-seven to win the 1 3/8-mile Grade 2 Glens Falls by 1 ¾ lengths at Saratoga.

Just five weeks later, Motion ran her back in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont, where she ran second to Sistercharlie. The Breeders' Cup marked her third start in just more than two months, and Motion gave her time off in the Sunshine State to start her 5-year-old year in 2020.

Mrs. Sippy has been training at Fair Hill with Mean Mary, breezing in company on Sunday in going six furlongs in 1:13.00 on the all-weather training track.

“They had their last work together last weekend and she's ready to go,” Motion said. “She wintered down in Florida. We had a couple of minor setbacks. She irritated her eye once and missed a couple of works, so it's taken us a little bit longer but quite frankly, she didn't really miss any opportunities with the whole Covid-19 situation. The timing is pretty good.”

Motion said the rest could be beneficial for later in the year as they attempt to keep the daughter of Blame firing for the biggest races towards the end of the campaign.

“We want to have her fresh for the fall. Last year, the Breeders' Cup came at the end of a long year,” Motion said. “Hopefully, we'll have her fresher for the fall this time around.”

Joel Rosario will have the call from post 6.

Feel Glorious will make her seasonal bow as one of two entrants for trainer Christophe Clement. Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Tango Uniform Racing, the English-bred 4-year-old enters off a win in the 1 1/16-mile Winter Memories in December at Aqueduct and was training in Florida at Payson Park before shipping to Belmont.

Jockey Junior Alvarado, who will be in the irons Saturday from post 2, has been working her in the mornings.

“Feel Glorious has been working well the past few weeks with Junior Alvarado,” Clement said. “There's a small question mark with the distance, but we're going to give it a try.”
R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love, a fellow English bred, was impressive in her first North American start last out, running second to Rushing Fall in the Grade 3 Beaugay on June 3 at Belmont. The 4-year-old garnered a 99 Beyer for that effort, running at 1 1/16 miles, and will return to the same distance as her last two starts in Italy, posting wins in a Group 2 and Group 3 contest, respectively, last fall.

“She's doing very well,” Clement said. “She looked nice in her American debut and she worked well with Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] on Friday.”

Under Ortiz, Jr., she will depart from post 1.
Trainer Chad Brown will also saddle two contenders. Peter Brant's My Sister Nat ended her 4-year-old year as the runner up in the Grade 3 Long Island in November at Aqueduct in her North American stakes debut. The French-bred half-sister to Sistercharlie drew post 3 with Jose Ortiz.
“She's training well and seems to be improving,” Brown said. “They're much different physically and Sistercharlie has a much bigger turn of foot.”

Wise Racing's Fools Gold will also make her first start of the year, coming off a near eight-month layoff. The 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro mare won the Grade 3 Waya last August at Saratoga before running out of the money in the Grade 2 Glens Falls and the Zagora.

Jockey Manny Franco, who won the Belmont Stakes aboard Tiz the Law las week, has the call from post 4.

“This filly I wanted to bring back in an easier spot but the change of schedules because of the virus, it never happened,” Brown said. “I think she's training well enough. She'll move forward exiting this race.”
Valiance, trained by Todd Pletcher, won her first three starts before an 11-month layoff. In her return, she ran third in the Power Break on May 16 at Gulfstream. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount for the first time, with the duo leaving from post 5.

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