Motion confident Soleil Volant can find elusive winner's circle
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Soleil Volant has not needed victories to become a stakes runner, improving in five straight starts for trainer Graham Motion without a trip to the winner’s circle. The 3-year-old gelding has not won a race since prevailing in a maiden special weight in August, but Motion still likes his chances in the $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
“This horse surprises me every time I run him,” Motion said. “He always seems to improve, and I think his last race was a really solid effort.”
Returning from a short layoff in April, Soleil Volant shipped to Laurel Park and finished third in a $56,000 allowance. Encouraged by that performance, his fifth straight defeat in allowance competition, Motion entered him in the $100,000 James W. Murphy at Pimlico next time out. He took another step forward that day, finishing second behind talented stakes runner Reagan’s Wit.
“I thought his allowance race at Laurel was good, and that’s why I took a shot at the stakes at Pimlico,” Motion said. “He handled the grass while my others didn’t that day, because it was so soft. I think he’s a horse on the improve. He only does what he has to do in the morning but seems to try hard in the afternoon.”
Motion cross-entered Soleil Volant in the $250,000 American Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, but the trainer said he will probably stay local. Running at Monmouth Park, his seventh track in nine career starts, he will be a flashy contender, offering a unique mix of experience and upside. A victory in stakes company could quickly change his reputation.
Tom’s Magic, a colt trained by Michael Stidham, could be the horse to beat while returning from a short layoff. After winning the $100,000 Black Gold at Fair Grounds, he regressed in the Grade 3 Transylvania in April and has not run since. Stidham blamed the soft turf at Keeneland for his performance that day, and consistent rain in the region has likely kept the colt out of action longer than planned. He will be a dangerous presence breaking from the rail if he runs back to his form earlier this year.
Four of the 10 turf runners entered for the 1 1/16-mile race will be making their stakes debut. Uncatalyzed, a last-out maiden winner trained by Chad Brown, will likely get the most attention in the group after a wire-to-wire victory at Aqueduct last time out.
In addition to the quartet trying stakes company for the first time, two runners in the Tale of the Cat field will get back to grass after their stakes debuts were taken off the turf last time out.
Golden Channel, a colt trained by George Weaver, stayed in the $300,000 Pennine Ridge on dirt at Saratoga and finished third earlier this month. Quizler, one of two runners entered by Kelly Breen, stayed in a three-horse running of the $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth last month and finished well behind. The runner-up that day, Cool Intentions, will make his first turf start in the Tale of the Cat for trainer Jorge Delgado.
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