Start of meet could have been better for Mott - but not much

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The opening weekend of the Saratoga session was a good one for trainer Bill Mott, and it was a disastrous trip away from being a great one when Grace Hall was narrowly defeated by Better Lucky after getting knocked sideways at midstretch in Monday’s Shine Again Stakes.

Mott had already sent out Tourist to a very impressive victory Friday, opening day, in the Sir Cat Stakes, and he saddled Royal Delta’s baby sister, Crown Queen, to an eye-catching turf tally against entry-level allowance rivals Sunday. A win by Grace Hall in a stellar field in the Shine Again would have completed a pretty nice hat trick for Mott to kick off the 2014 meeting.

But Grace Hall was bumped hard between the leaders while making what appeared to be a winning move near the eighth pole in the seven-furlong Shine Again, and she did well to recover and finish second behind the fast-closing winner.

“I thought she ran a winning race, only she got mugged there at midstretch,” a frustrated Mott said the following morning. “It was unbelievable that she was literally turned sideways and was able to come on and make another run and nearly win the race. I’m glad to see her run well. That’s what we were looking for, but you’d like to get a victory along with it. It’s hard to win races at Saratoga.”

Grace Hall has finished second in all three starts since being transferred to Mott’s barn and returning from a 13-month layoff this year.

Tourist earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his 1 3/4-length win over Ring Weekend in the Sir Cat. Tourist is unbeaten in three starts since being switched to grass this winter at Gulfstream Park.

“We might have tried him an extra time or two on dirt to find out whether he was a true dirt horse or needed a surface change, and ultimately, he proved to us he needed a surface change,” Mott said.

Mott said the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park on Aug. 16 could be next for Tourist.

Crown Queen won for the second time in a row Sunday, drawing off to a four-length victory.

“It was a very impressive effort,” said Mott. “Next on the dance card could be the Lake Placid. I think she’s definitely earned her way into a stakes now.”

Mott said Crown Queen is a much different filly from her big sis, Royal Delta.

“She’s much smaller – certainly not as massive as Royal Delta – and we kind of knew all along she’d need the grass,” said Mott. “But I saw an explosive type of move from her Sunday that maybe the other mare had, too.”

Mott also is looking for a big effort from Charge Now in Friday’s Curlin Stakes. Charge Now looks to rebound off a seventh-place finish over a sloppy track in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows.

“He reared at the start over a muddy track, was back last, and had no chance,” said Mott. “I’d love to run in the Travers, but he’ll have to earn his way in with a big effort.”

Seek Again, who finished third in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont last month, could make his next start locally in the Fourstardave rather than ship to Chicago for the Arlington Million, Mott said. Seek Again extended Wise Dan before dropping a head decision in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. Wise Dan also is listed as a possible starter for the Fourstardave.