Motion cuts back Bless Her in Sands Point as stepping-stone to Jockey Club Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s not even Halloween yet, but trainer Graham Motion is already looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend, at least where his turf filly Bless Her is concerned.

Motion believes the 1 5/16-mile distance of the $500,000 Jockey Club Oaks on Nov. 28 at Belmont Park will suit Bless Her very well. Motion just doesn’t want to wait that long to run Bless Her so he plans to cut the Twirling Candy filly back to 1 1/8 miles in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Sands Point at Belmont.

The Sands Point is one of three turf stakes on Friday’s card, as there were enough entrants for the racing office to run two divisions of the $175,000 Perfect Sting Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs. The rails on both the inner turf and Widener turf are out 48 feet, which limits field size to 10 horses whereas other rail settings permit 12-horse fields.

There were 13 entered in the Sands Point, a race that, on paper, appears to be wide open.

Bless Her is coming out of a second-place finish behind Kentucky Belle in the Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs at 1 5/16 miles. Going around the first turn, Kentucky Belle, ridden by Flavien Prat, cut in front of Bless Her, who did bobble significantly under John Velazquez. Kentucky Belle went on to win by 6 3/4 lengths over Bless Her and withstood a claim of foul from Velazquez.

“Did it cost her the race? Probably not,” Motion said. “Did it affect her? It definitely affected her.”

Motion said the nine furlongs of the Sands Point is about as short as he would want to run Bless Her. Motion does like her post 2 draw.

“I do think going a mile and an eighth, it’s favorable to be drawn inside,” he said. “You start close to the bend.”

While Bless Her is cutting back in trip, Crossover Capital, trained by Chad Brown, is stretching out from a third-place finish behind stablemate Shelzawa in the Grade 3 Winter Memories going one mile on Oct. 1. Prior to that, Crossover Capital won two straight races at 1 1/16 miles.

“It’s back on short rest but it looks like she wants a mile and an eighth on form and we’re running out of options at the end of the year,” Brown said. “She had a nice little maintenance breeze here a couple of days ago.”

Brown also entered the New York-bred filly Silly Season, who is coming off a front-running allowance win against New York-breds on Oct. 4.

The presence of Ireland-based trainer Joseph O’Brien with Vauntingly will undoubtedly attract wagering attention. This daughter of Night Of Thunder, owned by Stonestreet Stables, has been running at longer distances than this in Europe. She was a non-factor in a listed stakes at York in August going 1 1/2 miles.

Bohemian, trained by Joe Sharp, won the Pucker Up Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Ellis in August before finishing fourth in the Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Queen of Hawaii, who looked good winning an allowance race against her elders, is seeking to bounce back from a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Winter Memories when she broke from post 10. Friday, she is drawn in post 4.

“The last time the race went against her style a little bit. She broke from an outside post and she couldn’t get covered up and had to run the whole time,” trainer Phil Antonacci said. “Hopefully, with a little added distance and an inside draw we can get her covered up and that will help the scenario of the race better.”

Miss Fulton Gal, Americathegreat, Cosmic Candy Girl, and Ivy Girl complete the field.

Perfect Sting

Both divisions of the Perfect Sting came up interesting, as most of the horses in either race are unknown at the seven-furlong distance and/or at Belmont Park.

In the first division, race 5, Maryland shippers Somnium and Epic Style come into the race in terrific form.

Somnium, trained and owned by Elizabeth Merryman, comes off two second-place finishes in stakes races going shorter at Colonial Downs and Laurel, respectively.

“I thought she ran super in both of those races,” Merryman said. “I have a little bit of a concern over the seven-eighths; five and a half and six might be a little better for her, even though it looks like she’s closing late. It’s such a mix of horses shortening up and lengthening out. It’s a distance you rarely see run on the grass. It’ll be very interesting to see how that works out.”

Ricardo Santana Jr., who is 9 for 69 but 0 for 14 in turf stakes this meet, rides Somnium from post 2.

Epic Style, trained by Michael Stidham, has taken advantage of hot paces to win an allowance at Kentucky Downs and the Sweet Briar Too Stakes at Woodbine. Quadruple, who ran second to Epic Style, came back to win a Grade 3 at Woodbine last Saturday.

Antonio Fresu, who is 5 for 54 on turf with two stakes wins at the meet, has the call from post 3.

Spirited Boss, a Grade 3 winner trained by Jose D’Angelo, is another who looks like she would do better with a fast pace.

Love Cervere seeks a sixth career stakes win in race 8, the other division of the Perfect Sting, which drew a field of 10. Love Cervere did get a good pace setup when she won the six-furlong Floral Park Stakes from last on Sept. 19.

Ashikidah had experience racing seven furlongs in France last year, winning the Prix Kaldoun at Saint-Cloud and finishing a very good second in an 18-horse field in the Prix de Saint-Cyr.

Ashikidah, trained by Antonacci, will be shortening up from a last-place finish in the Forever Together at 1 1/16 miles.

“I think seven-eighths should suit her,” Antonacci said. “I think last time we were stretching how far she really wants to go, especially with the softer ground which makes it seem even farther. I think she was spinning her wheels and lost her turn of foot.”

Jody’s Pride, winless in five tries on turf, did finish third in the Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs going 6 1/2 furlongs. Time to Dazzle, the runner-up from that race, came back to win the Franklin.

Little Jamie, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., comes in off a second-level allowance win at Kentucky Downs that produced two next-out winners, including Tirupati, who won a listed stakes at Santa Anita.

Capturing, Vive Veuve, Spinning Colors, Gratefully, Abientot, and Table Flirt complete the field.