Laurelin's triumph in Tepin caps good weekend for Motion

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Laurelin rallied by a stubborn Five G to win Sunday’s $135,000 Tepin Stakes by a half-length, giving trainer Graham Motion a sweep of the weekend turf stakes as grass racing came to an end on the New York Racing Association circuit for 2024.

Laurelin’s victory came a day after Motion won the $150,000 Central Park Stakes with Jack and Jim.

“Really cool, really nice way to end the year,” Motion said. “We’re winding down a little bit, we had some frustrating beats to the end the year.”

Specifically, Motion’s No Show Sammy Jo got beat a nose in the Grade 3 Long Island on Nov. 10 or else Motion would have won the final three turf stakes of the year on this circuit.

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Laurelin, an Irish-bred daughter of Zarak owned by Newstead Stables, a new client for Motion, was coming off a maiden win here on Oct. 13 when she rallied from next-to-last despite a modest pace.

On Sunday, jockey Kendrick Carmouche kept Laurelin an up-close fourth, less than three lengths off the pace established by Isle of Capri, who ran a half-mile in 49.30 seconds. Five G, who drew in from the also-eligible list, stalked the pace, before taking over from Isle of Capri in upper stretch. Carmouche advanced Laurelin to Five G inside the sixteenth pole and had to work to get past that filly, but ultimately did.

Five G finished second by a neck over Presha. Reining Flowers was fourth, followed by favored Isle of Capri, Pookie, Roshiell My Bell and She’s All Charm. Miriam’s Fire, Good Long Cry, She’s Our Tiz, Annie Goodbody and Good Conduct scratched.

Laurelin covered the mile in 1:36.85 and returned $10.80 as the third choice.

“Today, I wanted to break where I could sit a little bit closer because I didn’t want to be behind,” Carmouche said. “I thought there would be enough horses that would be sitting behind me who would be closing on me. I was in a perfect spot going to the backside, I didn’t think they could beat me in the spot I was in.”

Carmouche knew Five G would be a formidable foe, as he rode her to a four-length victory on Nov. 2. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Five G, who broke from the outside post, in the Tepin.

“I knew from that post it was going to be hard to cover up,” Ortiz said. “She broke good, I let her be where she wanted to be and she was close. She put me right there, I got a long hold on her, she relaxed, I was happy where I was. When I asked her she responded well, the winner just kept coming.”

Motion said both Laurelin and Jack and Jim would likely ship to South Florida around the end of the year. They each could start once in Florida before heading back north in the spring.

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