Main Sequence settles in for winter

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Main Sequence, among the leading candidates for Horse of the Year honors, arrived at his winter home at the Palm Meadows training center near Boynton Beach, Fla., late Sunday morning following a long van ride from Maryland.

“It was kind of a crazy trip down; they hit a lot of traffic,” said trainer Graham Motion.

Main Sequence was perfect in four starts this season, with all of his victories coming in Grade 1 races, capped off by his game tally over Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Flintshire in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Motion gave Main Sequence some well-deserved time off at Fair Hill in Maryland after the Breeders’ Cup before putting him back into training there this month. Main Sequence worked once at Fair Hill prior to shipping to Florida, breezing a half-mile in 51 seconds in company with stablemate Ring Weekend on Christmas Eve.

“I’ll probably wait about 10 days or so before I breeze him down here,” said Motion. “Right now, our goal is to run in the Mac Diarmida. He’s on the same schedule as Ring Weekend, who I plan to run in the Canadian the same day. So, they’ll probably continue to work together right up to their races.”

Both the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida and the one-mile Canadian will be decided here Feb. 21. Motion’s first major goal for Main Sequence in 2015 is the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on March 28.

Ring Weekend, who accompanied Main Sequence on his van ride to south Florida, finished fifth in the Preakness in May before finding his true niche on turf, with victories in the Grade 3 Hill Prince at Belmont and the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga.