Breeders' Cup: Sickness in Motion's barn necessitates two scratches

Marcus Hersh|Oct 29, 2026

Barbara D. Livingston Test Score, who was entered in the Turf, was one of two horses from Graham Motion's barn who had to be scratched from Breeders' Cup races.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Wednesday was difficult enough for trainer Graham Motion, who had to scratch two Breeders’ Cup horses because they’d contracted a virus. Motion still has two Breeders’ Cup runners on Saturday, and he will spend Thursday and Friday waiting and hoping they don’t get sick, too.

Induction, who was to run in the Juvenile Turf, didn’t train Wednesday after a blood test showed markers of illness. And when Breeders’ Cup Turf entrant Test Score trained Wednesday morning, Motion heard him cough a couple times. He, too, was administered a serum amyloid A (SAA) test, a blood test that delivers results in a matter of minutes. Test Score’s markers showed he also had taken ill, and by Wednesday afternoon Test Score was running a temperature.

“It’s incredibly disappointing. I know he was a longshot, but we’ve been pointing to this race for so long now,” Motion said.

:: ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save big.

The virus didn’t come out of the blue. Motion said he has a number of sick horses at his home base in Maryland, the Fair Hill training center. So far, Roja, who runs in the Turf Sprint, and Gimme a Nother, an intended starter in the Filly and Mare Turf, are in ruddy health. They’ll continue to be tested, and for Motion, Saturday can’t come soon enough.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.