D’Amato & Prat Team with English-bred Motorious to take Grade III, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—With the late money coming his way, Phil D’Amato’s English-bred Motorious ran to it, as he overhauled morning line favorite Brickyard Ride a furlong from home and waltzed to a 2 ¼ length win in Sunday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Motorious got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:11.34.
As expected, comebacking Brickyard Ride bounded to the early lead from his rail post and Motorious, who broke sharply from mid-pack, sat second in the run down the hill, two lengths back at the half mile pole, but Prat engaged the leader at the dirt crossing and the two battled head and head to mid-stretch, where Motorious asserted his superiority.
“He broke well, and I was able to get myself right behind Brickyard Ride, so I was pleased with that,” said Prat, who notched his second stakes win on the day. “Obviously, I can’t let Brickyard Ride do his own thing in the first part, but I kind of wanted to get the jump on him and kind of surprise him. From that point, my horse was really brave and got to the wire.”
Second down the hill in the restricted Clockers’ Corner Stakes Jan. 29, Motorious, the second choice on the morning line at 5-2, was off at 3-2 in a field of seven older horses and paid $5.00, $3.20 and $2.20.
Owned by Anthony Fanticola, the 5-year-old gelding notched his second win from four hillside tries and got his first North American stakes win as well. Currently three for six with D’Amato in Southern California, Motorious is now 13-5-3-2 overall. With today’s winner’s share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $204,944.
“Brickyard Ride is a very nice horse,” said D’Amato. “I thought maybe if we were going to have a chance to beat him, it would be off the layoff. We had a really nice post (today), last time we had the one-hole, and we were stuck inside. Flavien got him in the race and in the right position to get the job done and he did a masterful job.”
A joint third, about 3 ½ lengths off the lead at the dirt crossing, Anarchist rallied for the place, finishing a half-length in front of Brickyard Ride. Off at 11-1 with Frankie Dettori, Anarchist paid $8.20 and $4.20.
Idle since May 29, multiple graded stakes winner Brickyard Ride, the 2-1 morning line favorite, was off at 9-5 with Juan Hernandez up and paid $3.60 to show while finishing a half-length in front of Whatmakessammyrun.
Fractions on the race were 21.46, 43.01 and 1:05.25.
Grade III, $100,000, San Simeon Stakes Quotes
Jockey Quotes
Flavien Prat, Motorious, Winner: “He broke well, and I was able to get myself right behind Brickyard Ride, so I was pleased with that. Obviously, I can’t let Brickyard Ride do this own thing in the first part, but I kind of wanted to get the jump on him and kind of surprise him. From that point my horse was really brave and got to the wire.”
Trainer Quotes
Philip D’amato, Motorious, Winner: “Brickyard Ride is a very nice horse. I thought maybe if we were going to have a chance to beat him it would be off the layoff. We had a really nice post last time we had the one hole, and we were stuck inside. Flavien got him in the race and in the right position to get the job done, and he did a masterful job.”
