Quidura gives Motion a contender in Valley View after all
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tin Type Gal might well have gone favored Friday in the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland, but trainer Graham Motion decided not to ship the filly from his Maryland base.
“I wasn’t happy with her this morning,” Motion said Wednesday from Fair Hill.
Her defection does little to clear up the outlook for the $150,000 Valley View. As many as 13 3-year-old fillies will start in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, with graded stakes winners Cheekaboo and My Impression among the lukewarm favorites, along with Quidura, a sharp last-out winner for Motion.
Making her first North American start and just her third overall, Quidura rallied to capture a first-level turf allowance at Belmont Park on Sept. 18.
“She’s taking a big step up, but she handled her allowance race very easily,” said Motion, who led all trainers at the Keeneland fall meet in stable earnings ($972,585) into this week of racing.
Cheekaboo, shipping from Southern California for trainer Peter Eurton, won the Grade 2 Honeymoon at Santa Anita in June.
My Impression, trained by Shug McGaughey, won the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks at Laurel Park in her last start Sept. 24.
Tin Type Gal won’t be the only scratch from the original field of 15. Sassy Little Lila, the lone also-eligible, could have drawn into the field as a viable contender, but trainer Brad Cox said the filly will not start. That leaves Florent Geroux, who had a double call, to ride Azaelia, a French invader making her first start on this continent.
The Valley View is carded as the ninth of 10 races on a Friday card that starts at the usual 1:05 p.m. Eastern. It’s part of a late pick-four wager (races 7-10) with a $200,000 pool guarantee. Post time for the feature is 5:30.
The undercard is strong, with two allowances (races 2 and 3), three maiden specials (races 6, 8, 10), and a starter-allowance (race 5).
After weeks of unseasonably warm weather in this region, conditions were supposed to turn more autumn-like for the coming weekend, with high temperatures in the mid-50s forecast for Friday and Saturday.
KEY CONTENDERS
My Impression, by Sky Mesa
Last 3 Beyers: 91-62-87
◗ This Stuart Janney homebred has developed a terrific closing kick while capturing four of her seven starts and will retain Jose Ortiz, who rode her not only at Laurel last out but also in winning the ungraded Christiana Stakes at Delaware Park in July.
Cheekaboo, by Unusual Heat
Last 3 Beyers: 81-85-87
◗ California-bred filly has developed into a deep closer for Eurton, who won graded stakes at Keeneland with Dance With Fate (2014 Blue Grass) and Kobe’s Back (2015 Commonwealth).
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Cheekaboo. Trainer Peter Eurton is 6-3-1-0 with a $7.96 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Quidura, by Dubawi
Beyer: 92
◗ Although her form in Germany before she came to the U.S. is difficult to gauge, her 92 Beyer from that Belmont allowance points her out as a legitimate threat, not to mention the fact that Motion is enjoying another huge meet.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Quidura. Trainer Graham Motion is 36-11-3-2 with a $4.66 ROI over the past five years in turf graded stakes at Keeneland. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan