Time and Motion conquers Catch a Glimpse in Lake Placid
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Time and Motion ran out of ground when she was beaten a half-length by Catch a Glimpse in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks last month. Jockey John Velazquez believed that was because he had the filly too far back, expecting there would be someone to pressure Catch a Glimpse early.
Sunday, in a rematch of these two fillies in the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga, Velazquez made sure to keep Time and Motion closer to Catch a Glimpse throughout. In the end, the strategy paid off as Time and Motion ran down Catch a Glimpse in deep stretch to win the Lake Placid by a neck at rainy Saratoga.
“We were counting on the rabbit and the rabbit didn’t show up and sometimes you have to take things into your own hands,” Velazquez said. “I said ‘I’m going to keep her on [Catch a Glimpse’s] tail; wherever she goes I’m going to be on her tail.’ ”
The loss ended an eight-race winning streak - all on turf - for Catch a Glimpse, whose only previous loss came here last summer on dirt.
“Even Secretariat got beat here,” said Mark Casse, trainer of Catch a Glimpse. “It happens.”
The victory was a much needed one for trainer Jimmy Toner and owner John Phillips, whose top older turf mare, Recepta, sustained a career-ending injury during training two weeks ago. Recepta had lost a nose decision in the Grade 1 Diana earlier in the meet.
“This is for Recepta,” said Toner, who got choked up in the winner’s circle thinking about that mare.
In the Belmont Oaks, there was a pacemaker in the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien who didn’t put much pressure on Catch a Glimpse. Time and Motion was six lengths off the pace and when she made a run at Catch a Glimpse in the stretch she fell short.
In the Lake Placid, Velazquez made sure to keep Time and Motion within two lengths of the front-running Catch a Glimpse at all times. Catch a Glimpse, under Florent Geroux, set fractions of 23.44 seconds, 48.58, and 1:12.78 for six furlongs while My Impression stalking on the outside.
Turning for home, Catch a Glimpse appeared to spurt away. Velazquez said his filly slipped over what he called a “slick” turf due to the rain.
“The reason she spurted away is my filly slipped at the quarter pole and it took three or five steps to get her back underneath me,” Velazquez said. “Once she switched and I got her back where I wanted she got her stride together and she finished very good.”
Catch a Glimpse, the 3-5 favorite under Florent Geroux, didn’t switch leads until very late, but even when she did she couldn’t hold off Time and Motion.
Catch a Glimpse finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Diamond Fields, who was followed, in order, by Elysea’s World, who stumbled badly at the start, Outsider Art, and My Impression.
Time and Motion, a daughter of Tapit, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.39 over a course labeled firm. She returned $5.50 as the second choice.
“Johnny rode a perfect race, did everything right,” Toner said. “We had to keep her in contention, there was no way we were going to make up five or six lengths on her.”
There is a chance these two could meet again in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland on Oct. 15.