Vergara, inside, winning last year’s Dueling Grounds Oaks. (Coady Photography)
By Tim Wilkin
FRANKLIN, Ky.– Trainer Graham Motion was in the south of France with family celebrating the 80th birthday of his wife Anita’s father. So, he won’t be at Kentucky Downs this weekend, but his horses will.
Motion hopes to run one horse Thursday and at least two others on Saturday as the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs continues.
On Saturday, Motion’s Vergara, owned by Gary Broad, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the12th running of the $1 million Aristocrat Ladies Marathon (G3). The 4-year-old filly is named for actress Sofia Vergara, who appeared in all 250 episodes and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the sitcom “Modern Family.”
Vergara the filly has already won an award at Kentucky Downs. Last year, she was victorious in the Dueling Grounds Oaks, winning it by a head. The Ladies Marathon is run at 1 5/16-miles, the same distance as the Dueling Grounds Oaks.
“That encourages me to come back with her,” Motion said by phone.
When last seen, Vergara finished fifth in the Glens Falls Stakes (G2) at Saratoga on Aug. 3. She was running against the likes of McKulick and War Like Goddess in that one. Vergara is winless in three starts this year but has been competitive in all of them. After a fifth-place finish in the Gallorette (G3) at Pimlico on May 20, she was third in the Eatontown Stakes (G3) at Monmouth on June 17.
“The Glens Falls (1 ½ miles) might have been a little farther than she wants to go,” Motion said. “It was also a pretty solid group of horses. Hopefully, she has a little bit of an edge with her winning on the track and the distance.”
Another Motion horse, 4-year-old filly Sparkle Blue, is entered to run in the one-mile, $1 million Castle Hill Gaming Ladies Turf (G3). She will be ridden by Vincent Cheminaud and is owned by Catherine Parke and Augustin Stable.
The daughter of Hard Spun has one win and a third in three starts this season. This will be her first start at a mile since Nov. 27, 2021, eight starts ago.
“We are going to shorten her up and we hope we can get away with that,” Motion said. “Look, it’s a big pot and it seemed like something we should take a chance in.”
Sparkle Blue does her best running later rather than sooner.
“She doesn’t want to be rushed,” Motion said. “She wants to be comfortable where she is.”
Motion’s week will start Thursday when his 4-year-old filly Candy Light is one of nine running in the $500,000 Jeff Ruby One Dreamer Stakes, a mile and 70-yard test for fillies and mares aged 3 and up that have not won a stakes in 2023.
Candy Light will get Joel Rosario in her saddle. Owned by Fortune Racing, the daughter of Candy Ride is 10-1 on the morning line.
“She is another filly that does not want to be rushed,” Motion said.
One other horse from his barn, Head of Plains Partners’ Sy Dog, is first on the also eligible list for the $1.7 million FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G2).
All of Motion’s horses are being vanned to Kentucky Downs from his Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.
“It’s not easy to ship there, and to be honest, it’s quite a project,” Motion said. “There is always a concern with it, but my horses are used to it. We have to ship everywhere we race.”
