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Motion Sends Single Soul In Pursuit Of Red Carpet Victory At Del Mar

Maryland-based trainer H. Graham Motion won the 2015 running of the Red Carpet Stakes with Rusty Slipper. Motion's assistant Alice Clapham, who has traveled with his horses to Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., since 2009 as part of worldwide assignments, was here to do the preparation work and saddling.

That combination, both natives of England, will be seeking a second score in the $100,000 Grade 3 Red Carpet, a 1 3/8-mile race for older fillies and mares on Thanksgiving Day. It's the first of seven graded stakes which make up the four-day Turf Festival to end the Bing Crosby Season.

Single Soul, a 3-year-old English-bred daughter of Dubawi, notched her second win in six career starts in a Belmont Park allowance race on October 22 and has been training since at Motion's facility in Fair Hill, Maryland. The most recent work was Saturday, five furlongs in 1:03 breezing.

Single Soul is scheduled to journey here on Tuesday. Clapham has been at Del Mar since before the Breeders' Cup earlier this month.

“I haven't heard anything about the work, but (Motion) must have been happy with it or he wouldn't have entered her,” Clapham said this morning. “I've been around her before and she's a really sweet filly. She hasn't traveled before but she seems quite sensible, so you'd think she will be OK with it.”

Single Soul had a forgettable debut for trainer Chad Brown on a yielding surface at Belmont a year ago. In five starts for Motion, she has never been off the board, notching a maiden win at Belmont Park in June and the 1 1/8-mile allowance there as an odds-on favorite in a field of six last month.

The Red Carpet will be her first race at the stakes level.

“We think she'll like the longer distance and we know she likes firmer turf,” Clapham said. “You can't really get that in New York right now, so this looks like a nice spot. Graham is sending out some for other races as well, so it kind of works out.”

A field of five was entered Saturday for the Red Carpet. From the rail out with riders in parentheses: England's Rose (Victor Espinoza); Luck (Flavien Prat); Neige Blanche (Juan Hernandez); Single Soul (Joe Bravo), and Nicest (Umberto Rispoli).

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Shantisara, Technical Analysis In Good Shape After Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

It may have been a different week, but the upbeat sounds of success still reverberated at the Chad Brown barn.

Shantisara (IRE) and Technical Analysis (IRE) provided the barn with its second consecutive Grade 1 exacta sweep with their 1-2 finish in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup presented by Dixiana on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

“Those are two nice fillies, and they are in good shape this morning,” said Baldo Hernandez, who is overseeing the Brown string at Keeneland. “They may be going back to New York tomorrow.”

Shantisara, owned by the partnership of Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert LaPenta, surged to a record-setting five-length victory over Klaravich Stables' Technical Analysis.

The previous week, the Brown-trained duo of Blowout (GB) and Regal Glory ran 1-2 in the Grade 1 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare for owner Peter Brant.

Hernandez said Blowout and Regal Glory also would be heading back to New York with the Queen Elizabeth II runners.

Flavien Prat rode both Grade 1 winners with Jose Ortiz finishing second in both races. Prat will attempt to double up for Brown this afternoon at Woodbine when he rides Kalifornia Queen (GER) in the $600,000 Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.

Trainer Brad Cox was pleased with the third-place effort of Michael De Broglio's Burning Ambition in the filly's graded stakes debut.

“I have no idea what I am going to do with her next since there is obviously no turf racing in Kentucky for a while,” Cox said. “Possibly the ($300,000) American Oaks (G1 at 1¼ miles on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita).”

Eclipse Thoroughbreds and TOLO Thoroughbreds' Queen Goddess, who finished fifth in her stakes debut, will train at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., the next couple of weeks and then ship to California, trainer Michael McCarthy said via text.

Harris Farms' Closing Remarks, sixth on Saturday, was scheduled to return to trainer Carla Gaines' base at Santa Anita on Tuesday.

James Wigan's Cloudy Dawn (IRE), seventh in her U.S. debut for trainer William Haggas, was scheduled to ship back to Europe on Monday, according to head lad Suraj Bissessur.

Watts Humphrey Jr.'s Flippant is scheduled for a 2-3 month break following her eighth-place finish, according to Phil Oliver, husband of trainer Vicki Oliver.

Leaving for Europe today was Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Empress Josephine (IRE), who finished ninth as the favorite.

“The lack of cover early in the race didn't help her,” said Kieran Murphy, who has overseen the filly's training at Keeneland for Aidan O'Brien. “It was tough to come back that quick from what was a tough race last week for her (in the First Lady in which she was third).”

Murphy also said Katsumi Yoshida's Nicest (IRE), who finished fourth for trainer Donnacha O'Brien, would not be leaving Sunday with plans to be determined.

Charles Fipke's undefeated Lady Speightspeare, who was scratched at the starting gate prior to the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana, is scheduled to return to Woodbine on Monday.

“She's OK this morning. It's just disappointing to come all this way and not run,” said Ally Walker, assistant to trainer Roger Attfield. “She has a bit of a wild side, and yesterday she reared up four times in the gate and then tried to lay down.”

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Queen Elizabeth II Invitees Work Over Keeneland Turf Course

Three fillies who were extended invitations to next Saturday's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana tested the Keeneland turf course Saturday morning at the Lexington, Ky., track.

Trainer Chad Brown's stakes-winning duo of Shantisara (IRE) and Technical Analysis (IRE) worked five furlongs together in 1:03.40 and 1:03.60, respectively. Trainer Donnacha O'Brien's Nicest (IRE) worked 5 furlongs in 1:06 with jockey Julien Leparoux aboard.

Also working on the course labeled good was Diamond Wow for trainer Patrick Biancone.

With assistant Andie Biancone aboard, Diamond Wow breezed 3 furlongs in :39.80 for Wednesday's Grade 2 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine. Diamond Wow was scratched out of Friday's Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades after drawing post 11.

“I think she would have been competitive yesterday,” Andie Biancone said about Diamond Wow, who drew the far outside post 14 for the Jessamine. “I am not as concerned with the outside draw on the turf as on the dirt.”

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