Motion opts for softer spot for Isivunguvungu's return

Isivunguvungu will make his delayed 8-year-old debut in a $56,000 allowance on Friday at Laurel Park. Trainer Graham Motion considered tougher spots for the perennial stakes contender earlier this year, including the $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint last month, but he will ultimately opt for a softer 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint to reintroduce his seasoned gelding.

“I had him entered Preakness weekend, but I wasn’t really happy with how he was doing,” Motion said. “I think he’s done well since then. He’s had a couple of breezes. We felt he’d never had a break since he came from South Africa. It was just a very intense schedule to get him to the [2024] Breeders’ Cup and then Dubai. So he really earned a break and I feel like he’s coming into it well.”

After finishing 10th in the Group 1, $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai last year, Isivunguvungu did not run again until July and did not appear quite as sharp. He finished sixth in back-to-back stakes starts at Monmouth Park and Colonial Downs, leading Motion to give the South African-bred an extended break.

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