Inimitable Romanee comes from behind to win Bewitch Stakes

Perhaps it’s best if Graham Motion stays in Maryland when he has a horse run at Keeneland.

For the second time this spring meet, a horse trained by Motion won a stakes when he wasn’t even in the state of Kentucky. This time, it was Inimitable Romanee, who used a dramatic run in the middle of the Keeneland turf course to nip Aigue Marine at the wire in the 1 1/2 mile Bewitch Stakes.

Despite winning two marathon graded turf stakes in her last three starts, Inimitable Romanee went off at 14-1 in the Grade 3 Bewitch, largely because most of the fillies and mares in the 12-horse field were overshadowed by Romantica, a 5-year-old mare trained by Bill Mott and making her U.S. debut in the Bewitch after winning $771,362 in 11 starts in Europe. Inimitable Romanee was also starting from the outside post and carrying 123 pounds, tops in the field, under conditions that saddled recent winners with more weight.

“I think that just showed the depth of the field,” said Motion, about the 14-1 odds. Motion was speaking from Fair Hill in Maryland, where his string is based. “Plus with the post and the extra weight, maybe people stayed away.”

The win was the fifth in Inimitable Romanee’s 23-race career and the third in her last four starts. With the $90,000 winner’s share of the $150,000 Bewitch, her career earnings are now $473,875.

The Maria’s Mon filly had been running against New York-breds for most of 2012 and 2013, where races at marathon distances aren’t at all common. Opting for open company, Motion put her in the 1 1/2-mile Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct in November, and she aired gate to wire over the turf. Next up was the 1 3/8-mile Very One Stakes at Gulfstream in February, which she also won. But she tired in her next start, the 1 1/2-mile Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream, finishing seventh.

In the Bewitch, she never looked like a winner until the deep stretch. Romantica, favored at 7-10, raced in perfect position for most of the race, just behind the early pacesetters, who carved out sluggish fractions of 26.01 seconds, 51.89, and 1:17.41 for the first six furlongs. Lingering mid-pack, Inimitable Romanee lost ground as the horses dashed into the final turn, with Romantica looking the strongest around the bend.

“I was pretty nervous,” said Marlene Brody, the owner and breeder of Inimitable Romanee, after the race.

But Romantica did not fire like a Group 1 winner, and she struggled to gain the lead as horses began sprinting down the stretch late. Meanwhile, jockey Alan Garcia angled Inimitable Romanee to the middle of the course and sent her surging toward the leaders, just as Aigue Marine, a 20-1 shot trained by Christophe Clement, gained the front. But Aigue Marine was one step slower than Inimitable Romanee in the shadow of the wire.

Inimitable Romanee won by a head in a final time of 2:32.29. Aigue Marine was a neck in front of Caroline Thomas, who was three-quarters of a length better than Romantica.

Inimitable Romanee paid $31.20 to win. The $2 exacta paid $263.80, with the $2 trifecta paying $1,778.40.

It’s unclear if and when Inimitable Romanee will run again. Motion said there’s been some talk she might retire to be bred.

“She proved she could really run with anybody,” he said. “This has really put her on a different level.”

As for missing a second stakes win at Keeneland this year, Motion said that he would be working his horses Friday morning at Fair Hill, then jumping on a plane for Keeneland, where he has horses entered in three races, including two in the Grade 2 Elkhorn.

“I don’t know now though,” he said. “I should probably just stay away.”