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‘One Of Those Races You Aspire To Win’: Motion Readying Mean Mary, Secret Message For Diana

Trainer Graham Motion has reached the heights of the sport, winning four Breeders' Cup races along with the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. But the Diana, for older fillies and mares on turf at Saratoga, is one prestigious race that has eluded him.

After saddling the runner-up finisher on five occasions, Motion will look to break through, sending out two contenders in Mean Mary and Secret Message in Sunday's 82nd running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana going 1 1/8 miles on the Mellon turf course.

Motion has come as close as possible to training the winner of the Diana without having a horse cross the wire first, with Ultra Brat losing by a nose to Sistercharlie in 2018. Quidura (2017), Shared Account (2010), and Sweet Talker (2006) all lost by a head, while Aruna was beaten 1 1/2 lengths in a second-place effort in 2011.

Even before his training career, Motion experienced bad beats in the Diana. Working for trainer Jonathan Sheppard, Motion was the exercise rider of the filly Wooing, who as a 32-1 shot finished first in the race in 1989 but was disqualified for interference and placed behind Glowing Honor.

“Since I've worked for Jonathan Sheppard, it's been a race I've always pointed horses towards,” Motion said. “I even galloped a filly that got disqualified in this race, so it's been a bit of a nemesis for me. It's one of those races that you aspire to win. It's a race that has amazing history and with me training turf horses, and specifically turf fillies, it's always been a race that I've wanted to try and win and try to compete in every year.”

Motion's contenders make up one-third of the small-but-accomplished six-horse field that features the Chad Brown-trained duo of 3-2 favorite Rushing Fall and Sistercharlie [5-2], who will be looking to become the first horse in the Diana's history to win it three consecutive years.

Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary drew the outside post with Luis Saez aboard. Listed at 3-1, she enters 3-for-3 in her 4-year-old campaign and with four consecutive wins overall dating to a December victory over optional claimers at Gulfstream Park.

In her 2020 bow, she wired a 10-horse field going 1 ½ miles to win the Grade 3 La Prevoyante by five lengths in January at Gulfstream and again won over the track in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Orchid in March. Last out, she was shortened to 1 ¼ miles and responded with a stellar 5 ¼-length score in the Grade 2 New York that netted Mean Mary her first career triple digit Beyer Speed Figure at 101.

Since making her debut running fifth on dirt in September, Mean Mary has won five of her six turf starts and came in second in the other; a one-mile allowance contest in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“She impressed me when she broke her maiden and she's just continued to improve,” Motion said. “When she ran in the stake the first time [the La Prevoyante], it was more about the races that were available to her, and I just had a feeling she'd handle the extra distance and she handled it well.”

After proving she likes longer distances, Motion said the 1 1/8-mile Diana will be a good indicator as he prepares her for a potential start in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/16-miles in November at Keeneland.

“She's been pointing to this race for a long time,” Motion said. “With the Breeders' Cup, I need to find out if she can handle these shorter distances. She certainly did before we started running her at these longer races, but not at this level. She's trained really well for this race and hasn't really missed a beat.”

Secret Message, owned by Madaket Stables, Heider Family Stables, ERJ Racing, Elayne Stables Five and Steve Bouchey, is the longest shot on the board in the Diana at 20-1, drawing post 2 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

The 5-year-old daughter of Hat Trick is also coming off a short turnaround after running third in last week's Perfect Sting at the Spa. After running sixth in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on July 11 at Keeneland, won by Rushing Fall, Secret Message earned blacktype in the 1 1/16-mile Perfect Sting on August 14 and will wheel right back.

“The racing this year has been different because it's come up so competitive even though it's listed races,” Motion said. “We feel like we haven't been able to run her as much as we normally would. The fact that she's a big, robust filly; we felt she could handle a quick turnaround. She really ran the last quarter-mile last weekend and really sprinted home. She sprinted home as fast as anyone.”

Motion is approaching 2,500 career wins [2,477 entering Friday] and won the 2011 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom, who also ran second in that year's Grade 1 Preakness. He has earned placing in the other two American Classics, saddling runner-up Irish War Cry in the 2017 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Icabad Crane to a third-place effort in the 2008 Preakness. He won last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Sharing and is a two-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf with Main Sequence (2014) and Better Talk Now (2004). Shared Account won the 2010 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

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Fast Facts about the Fourstardave Handicap

The Fourstardave Handicap is one of the top turf races in the U.S. for horses three and older. Here are some facts about the Grade 1 event contested at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, which is a “Win and You’re In” qualifying race for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF on Nov. 7 at Keeneland:

Pletcher Eyeing Runhappy Hopeful With Sharp Debut Winner Mutasaabeq

Following a highly impressive debut victory on the Runhappy Travers Day undercard at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Shadwell Stables' Mutasaabeq will attempt to make the grade in the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Hopeful on Monday, September 7.

The Todd Pletcher trained son of Into Mischief, out of the Scat Daddy broodmare Downside Scenario, arrived at his career debut off two sharp bullet works from the gate, where he went five furlongs in 59.03 and a half-mile in 46.53.

Since his maiden win, he worked a half-mile in 48.88 seconds on Monday over the Saratoga main track.

In his career debut traveling 5 ½ furlongs, Mutasaabeq broke a step slow out of the gate, was four wide in pursuit and powered away to a 4 1/2-length score that garnered an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He had been touting himself in the morning, so we were hoping for a good debut out of him. His first step isn't that quick, we knew that going in. But once he gets going, he gets to be pretty fast,” Pletcher said. “He seemed to emerge from his race well and so right now we're pointing towards the Hopeful. We're very pleased with him. He definitely has trained as though the stretch out won't bother him, so we're excited about the way he's doing and we're looking forward to it.”

Bred in Kentucky by BlackRidge Stables, Mutasaabeq was purchased for $425,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Pletcher is a three-time winner of the Runhappy Hopeful, scoring with Circular Quay (2006), Shanghai Bobby (2012), and Competitive Edge (2014).

On Saturday, Pletcher will be sending out Harrell Ventures' Halladay in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave Handicap at one mile over the inner turf at Saratoga.

The consistent 4-year-old son of War Front arrives at the Fourstardave after finishing fourth beaten 1 ¼ lengths in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch, where he tracked a slow pace in second behind gate-to-wire winner Somelikeithotbrown.

A two-time stakes winner going 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream Park turf, Halladay has only finished off the board twice in 13 starts.

Halladay has posted two half-mile breezes over the Saratoga main track since his last effort going 48.55 seconds in his most recent move.

“We'll play it on the break, but if he's the main speed we won't take that away from him,” Pletcher said. “He's been doing well. I liked his two breezes since the race. It's a very tough race, but hopefully he's able to step up.”

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Farm and Winchell Thoroughbreds, Halladay is out of two-time graded stakes winning Tapit broodmare Hightap.

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French Pair Among 10 Rivals For Laura’s Light In Del Mar Oaks

Eleven 3-year-old fillies will test their mettle over nine furlongs on the Del Mar turf course Saturday in Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, a key race on a five-stakes program offering more than $1-million in purse money at the seaside oval north of San Diego, Calif.

The $250,000 Oaks, which starts out of the diagonal infield chute, will have its 64th running and goes as race No. 9 on the 11-race card.

The likely favorite in the highly sought lawn test is Gary Barber's Laura's Light, a daughter of Constitution who has won five of her seven lifetime starts, including a last-out tally in the one-mile, Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes on the Del Mar grass July 25, a race considered the key prep for the Del Mar Oaks. Trainer Peter Miller's bay filly was ridden that day by Abel Cedillo and the Guatemalan jockey is back aboard Saturday. They'll break from Post 10 and carry 122 pounds, just as all runners in the race do.

Here's the complete field for the Oaks from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

MyRacehorsecom or Platts' Carpe Vinum (Aaron Gryder, 15-1); Barber or Wachtel Stable's California Kook (Edwin Maldonado, 15-1); Jathiere or Lazare's Miss Extra (Umberto Rispoli, 9/2); Benjamin and Sally Warren's Warren's Showtime (Mike Smith, 6-1); Calvin Nguyen's Aqua Seaform Shame (Ruben Fuentes, 12-1); What Time Is It Racing's Trickle In (Ricardo Gonzalez, 12-1); Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Red Lark (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1); Madaket Stables, DeSeroux or Naif's Neige Blanche (Flavien Prat, 5-1); L N J Foxwoods' Parkour (Giovanni Franco, 15-1); Laura's Light, and Benowitz Family Trust and Madaket Stables' Guitty (Juan Hernandez, 8-1).

Chief threats to Laura's Light are a pair of French fillies who'll be making their U.S. debuts in the nine-panel showdown. Miss Extra, a bay by Masterstroke, last raced on July 5 at Chantilly, the French racecourse about 30 miles north of Paris. The bay has won three of her four starts this year, including the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly on June 18 at a mile on turf. Trainer Richard Mandella is listed as her conditioner for the Oaks.

Neige Blanche is in the barn of the American-based, French-born trainer Leonard Powell. Her last outing was on June 6 at Lyon-Parilly near Lyon in the central part of France. She won the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre that day, her third victory in her sixth lifetime start.

Powell also trains Guitty, who was second to Laura's Light in the San Clemente after having to take the overland for the last three-eighths of a mile. She shows two wins and two seconds from eight lifetime outings.

Warren's Showtime had a taste of bad racing luck in the stretch in finishing third in the San Clemente. The chestnut homebred by Clubhouse Ride has won five of 11 races and has earnings of $430,251. She won four minor stakes and will be making her first Grade I appearance Saturday.

First post Saturday will be 2 p.m.

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