Spendarella arrives in England for tilt at Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot
Spendarella, who will be trainer Graham Motion’s sixth Royal Ascot starter, arrived in England on Tuesday after flying from Indianapolis.
Motion said Spendarella, her training overseen by his longtime assistant Alice Clapham, will take up residence at the International Stud in Newmarket in advance of her start June 17 in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes.
“That’s where we went with Sharing,” Motion said. “It’s a really level gallop on a quieter side of Newmarket.”
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Motion has run two horses in the Coronation, a one-turn mile for 3-year-old fillies: Sharing, who finished second in 2020, and Miss Temple City, fourth in the 2015 Coronation. Miss Temple City returned to finish fourth in the 2016 Duke of Cambridge and in 2017 was 11th in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, a straight course mile that is the traditional Royal Ascot opening race.
The 2013 Queen Anne was Animal Kingdom’s swan song. The Motion-trained winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup, Animal Kingdom could muster only an 11th place finish as the first European starter for England-born Motion.
Spendarella has started her career with three wins, all visually impressive and fast on speed figures. The most recent was a 1 ¾-length win April 9 at Keeneland in the Grade 2 Appalachian, which earned her a second straight 90 Beyer Speed Figure. Miss Temple City went to the Coronation off two 92 Beyers while Sharing got an 89 in the start before her trip overseas.
“Everything she’s done, she’s done easily, but I have no illusions,” Motion said. “She hasn’t run against anything like she’s going to run against over there.”
Spendarella, owned by Antony Beck’s Gainesway Stable, is roughly 10-1 in early betting on the Coronation, which has Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs as the favorite. Also expected to start are Cachet, winner of the 1,000 Guineas in England, and Inspiral, the best 2-year-old filly in Europe last year but unraced at age 3.
Motion flies to England after he runs Highland Chief in the Manhattan Stakes on Saturday at Belmont. He’ll be in attendance when Spendarella has a breeze on Monday morning.