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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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Stakes-Winning Aquetduct Winter Warrior Sharp Starr Gets A Freshening

Trainer Horacio DePaz said Barry Schwartz's Sharp Starr, winner of the Grade 3 Go for Wand in December at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y., is enjoying some well deserved time off after a productive winter campaign.

The New York homebred, a 4-year-old dark bay filly by Munnings out of the A.P. Indy mare Mindy Gold, romped to a 15 3/4-length state-bred allowance win in November at the Big A that garnered a career-best 101 Beyer ahead of her Go for Wand score.

Sharp Starr followed that effort with a good second in the La Verdad in January on a muddy Aqueduct main track before a sixth-place effort in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie in February at Laurel Park.

Last out, Sharp Starr finished a distant third to Water White in a one-mile optional-claiming event on April 1 at Aqueduct.

“I think she was a tired horse. She tried but there's really no excuses,” said DePaz. “We looked her over and everything was fine, so we turned her out at the farm. I think she just needed a break and to put some weight on her.

“She deserves the time off and she's been running pretty consistent all last year,” he added. “We'll bring her back fresh.”

DePaz said he is looking forward to the start of the Belmont spring/summer meet which begins on Thursday.

“I've got 23 horses at the moment and more coming,” said DePaz, who expects his barn to expand to 30. “The purse money is good, we just need the right horses to be able to chase it. It gets much deeper when everyone comes back, but it's exciting.”

The conditioner will send out a pair of starters on the Opening Day card including Whispering Pines in a featured allowance sprint in Race 7 and Fed Funds in Race 4, a seven-furlong $50,000 open-claiming sprint. DePaz said Fed Funds, a four-time winner from 10 starts, should appreciate the company following a pair of off-the-board efforts in strong optional-claiming sprints.

“The distance sets up perfect for him,” said DePaz. “There's some pretty salty horses in there, but he's a hard-trying horse. He likes to show up. Hopefully he's on top of his game. He's been very consistent for us.”

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Say The Word To Join D’Amato’s Kentucky Stable At Churchill Following Elkhorn Win

Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm's Canadian champion Say the Word, winner of Saturday's Elkhorn Stakes (G2) by 1½ lengths at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., was scheduled to head to Churchill Downs in Louisville on Sunday and join the rest of trainer Phil D'Amato's Kentucky string.

The victory in the 1½-mile Elkhorn by the 6=year-old son of MoreThan Ready was the second graded stakes triumph at the distance for Say the Word. The other came last year in the Northern Dancer Turf (G1) Presented by Pattison at Woodbine.

The Churchill stakes schedule has the $125,000 Louisville (G3) going 1½ miles on the turf slated for May 15, a race that could attract Elkhorn runner-up Channel Cat and fourth-place finisher Fantasioso (ARG).

“He showed signs that he was going to run a good one,” trainer Jack Sisterson said of Calumet Farm's Channel Cat, whose effort Saturday produced his best result since winning the Bowling Green (G2) in 2019 while racing for Todd Pletcher. “He had not trained that well coming into a race since we have had him.”

Sisterson mentioned after the race that the $750,000 Manhattan (G1) at 1¼ miles on June 5 might be a possibility but noted Sunday morning, “if we take the conservative route, we may do that (the Louisville).”

Bloom Racing Stable and I. C. Racing's Fantasioso rallied from last in the field of eight, finishing less than a length out of second place in his U.S. debut.

“He came out of the race well, and I was very happy with his race,” trainer Ignacio Correas IV said. “The plan is to go on to the Louisville.”

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Brazilian-Bred Royal Ship Overtakes Country Grammer In Californian

In what soon developed into a match race, Richard Mandella's Royal Ship out-gamed Bob Baffert's Country Grammer by a neck following a thrilling stretch duel in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Mike Smith, Brazilian-bred Royal Ship got 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.47 and will now be pointed to the G1, $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on May 31.

Idle since running fifth in the G1 Travers Stakes Aug. 8 at Saratoga, Country Grammer was sent from his number three post position while Royal Ship, who had been well off the pace in his four stateside starts for Mandella, was hustled out of the gate and sat a close second early while applying considerable pressure to the front-runner.

A half length back at the three furlong pole, Royal Ship got on terms with Country Grammer a quarter mile out and from there, it was “game-on,” as 3-5 favorite Independence Hall, who sat third throughout, was never a factor.

“Yes, we wanted to be closer today,” said Mandella, who had tried Royal Ship in four graded stakes dating back to Aug. 23, with three of them on turf. “He's fast enough, we didn't need him back off the pace and getting into trouble again. He's always trained well on dirt and the only time we ran him on it, he fell on his face leaving the gate (in the G3 Native Diver on Nov. 21). We didn't have a grass race to point for, so this looked like a good spot.

“We'll run in the Gold Cup next.”

Most recently a fast finishing fifth, beaten one length in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf March 6, Royal Ship was off at 5-1 in a field of five 3-year-olds and up and paid $13.40, $5.80 and $2.60.

“He really fought hard today,” said Smith, who has ridden him in all of his races with Mandella. “I've been very unlucky leaving the gate with him on several different occasions. We ran him on the dirt (at Del Mar) and ran fourth. It seems like every time I get something going my way, something pushes me back two steps and today, finally everything went our way.”

A 5-year-old gelding by Midshipman, Royal Ship is owned by Fox Hill Farms, Inc. and Siena Farm, LLC. A Group 1 and Group 3 stakes winner on grass in Brazil, the Californian marks his first win in three career tries on dirt and his first win in five graded stakes assignments for Mandella. The winner's share of $120,000 increases his earnings to $203,305 from an overall mark of 12-6-1-2.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Country Grammer, who won the G3 Peter Pan Stakes for trainer Chad Brown two starts back on July 16 at Saratoga, was making his first start for Baffert and ran a huge race in defeat, finishing 9 ½ lengths in front of Independence Hall.

The second choice at 7-2, Country Grammer paid $5.00 and $2.10.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Independence Hall, who paid $2.10 to show, demonstrated his customary tactical speed, but the top two got away from him around the far turn and he had to settle for third money, finishing 14 lengths ahead of Magic On Tap.

Fractions on the race were 23.23, 46.98, 1:10.67 and 1:35.39.

Hall of Famer Mandella collected his fourth career win in the Californian, while fellow Hall of Famer Smith, who took the prestigious prep to the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1995 aboard eastern-based Concern, notched his second Californian win.

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