Regally Irish by a neck in Bridgetown Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Graham Motion doesn’t think Regally Irish is truly meant to sprint on turf. But for the purposes of Saturday’s Bridgetown Stakes at Aqueduct, he was good enough to get the job done in such a race.

Regally Irish, from the family of Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry, chased the pace from the inside under Rajiv Maragh, tipped to the outside in midstretch and was able to wear down pacesetting Skole to win the $100,000 Bridgetown by a neck. It was two lengths back to Mount Travers in third. Skychief and Wonder Stone completed the order of finish.

Following rain Friday night and Saturday morning, the Bridgetown was run over an outer turf course listed as yielding. It was the only one of four scheduled turf races that was run on the turf Saturday.

Motion had Regally Irish nominated to next Saturday’s $100,000 Woodhaven run here at 1 1/16 miles. But the field for the Bridgetown was coming up light, and Motion felt he could run him short in his first start off a three-month layoff and supplemented him to the race.

“I don’t think it’s naturally what he wants to do,” Motion said. “I think he’s more of a seven-eighths or a miler.”

Breaking from the rail in the Bridgetown, Regally Irish stayed on the inside, in the second flight of horses while Skole set fractions of 22.39 seconds for the quarter and 45.32 for the half-mile pressed by Skychief.

Turning for home, Skychief retreated but Mount Travers picked up the chase. Maragh still saved all the ground until room opened up inside the eighth pole and he got him to the outside and gradually wore down Skole.

“I wanted my horse to get comfortable early whether it was up close or from behind,” Maragh said. “He doesn’t have a real set style, so it gave me a lot of options. The way the race was unfolding I felt like we were tracking in a good spot. I was hoping he’d kick in and he sure did.”

Regally Irish, a New Jersey-bred son of Regally Ransom owned and bred by Isabelle de Tomaso, covered the six furlongs in 1:10.28 and returned $5.40 as the favorite.

Motion said he might look to stretch Regally Irish back out to a mile in the $100,000 James Murphy Stakes at Pimlico on May 18.