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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