Naptown gets in a work at Herringswell Stables, Fair Hill, for Graham Motion. (Maggie Kimmitt photo)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
BALTIMORE, Md. – After watching Nagirroc set a course record to win the race last year, trainer Graham Motion will make a title defense with Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables’ Naptown in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy.
Nagirroc captured the one-mile grass event in 1:33.01 over a firm course, besting the previous mark of 1:33.42 set by North East Bound in 2000. It was the fourth Murphy victory for Maryland-based Motion, following Two Smart (1997), Blaze and Blues (2000) and subsequent Grade 3 winner English Bee (2019).
Naptown, by Munnings, has yet to race on grass. He debuted on the dirt at Laurel Park last fall, running third, then graduated by 5 ½-lengths in an off-the-turf maiden special weight 24 days later at Woodbine. The Ontario-bred bay stayed in Canada for two starts on its all-weather surface, finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Coronation Futurity in November and third in the six-furlong Woodstock April 28 in his season opener.
“He has had a little bit of an odd progression. Being a Canadian-bred, we pointed him to those races up there. I was a little surprised he didn’t run better the last time going three-quarters but I think it might have been a little too quick for him,” Motion said. “I think grass is what he wants to do. Most of these horses that breeze well on synthetic tend to handle the grass.”
Also entered to try grass for the first time is Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc.’s Speedyness, winner of the one-mile Miracle Wood on the Laurel Park turf that subsequently ran third by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms and second by less than a length in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio, the latter April 20. The Great Notion gelding is 3-0 at the distance.
Ken Ramsey’s Abrumar won the one-mile Colonel Liam on the Gulfstream Park turf March 2 but faded to 10th after pressing the pace in the 1 1/16-mile American Turf (G2) May 4 at Churchill Downs. Live Oak Plantation’s Crystal Quest is also a Florida stakes winner, having taken the 1 1/16-mile Sophomore Turf March 24 at Tampa Bay Downs, as is Lugamo Racing Stable’s Tocayo, who found success in the one-mile Dania Beach Jan. 6 before running third by two lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Kitten’s Joy (G3) Feb. 3, both at Gulfstream.
Starlight Racing and Mark Grier’s Fulmineo owns one win from eight starts but has placed twice in stakes, finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Pilgrim (G2) last fall at Aqueduct and the one-mile Columbia March 9 at Tampa.
Buckin’ Dreamer, Echo Lane, Lucky Jeremy, Massif and Twirling Point complete the field. Multiple stakes winner Copper Tax, once under consideration for the Preakness, is entered for main track only.
The James W. Murphy pays homage to the late trainer that won nearly 1,400 races and more than 50 stakes and $24 million in purses starting in 1965. He was named the MTHA’s Trainer of the Year in 2006, three years before he died at age 82.
