Time and Motion Turns the Tables and Wins the Lake Placid

Time and Motion turned the tables on Catch a Glimpse when she ran down the favorite nearing the wire in the $300,000 Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga. In their previous two meetings, Catch a Glimpse had come out on top, but today jockey John Velazquez asked Time and Motion to stay closer to Catch a Glimpse and it paid off.

With rain falling at Saratoga and the rest of the races taken off the turf as a precaution, the inner turf course was still listed as FIRM. Today in the Lake Placid, which is restricted to three-year-old fillies, Time and Motion had a four pound advantage compared to their last race, the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1), when the two ran at equal weights and Catch a Glimpse won by only a half-length. Time and Motion got the victory by a neck for trainer Jimmy Toner, who had won the Lake Placid in 2002 with Wonder Again and in 1996 with Memories of Silver.

Velazquez had ridden Time and Motion in her four previous starts and won three times making a closing move from mid-pack. The Hall of Fame rider knew that he would have to try something different to beat Catch a Glimpse who came into the race with eight victories in a row. So, Johnny V. decided to say much closer to the favorite who likes to run on the lead.

"Today, I kept her on her tail [Catch A Glimpse]. Wherever she went, I was going to keep her right on her tail,” explained Velazquez. “It was a different story than last time when she was able to get away, but there was no rabbit in this race. The reason she spurted off a little bit is because she went to slip right at the quarter pole. It took five steps to get her back straight, but when I got her back together and she gained traction in the lane, she went away."

Out of the gate, Florent Geroux put Catch a Glimpse in front and on the rail. Velazquez countered by also going to the rail and sitting in third position just a couple of lengths behind. My Impression ran in second position in the two path. These three ran the first six furlongs in 23.44, 48.58, and 1:12.78.

Velazquez moved the daughter of Tapit into second place as the mile flashed in 1:36.55 and Geroux asked Catch a Glimpse to go and she appeared to lengthen her lead. That did not last long as Velazquez had Catch a Glimpse measured and went past to a clear victory. This was Johnny V’s third win in the Lake Placid with previous tallies in 2014 with Crown Queen and 2012 with Stephanie’s Kitten.

Toner gave his take on the victory, "At the sixteenth-pole, I didn't think we were getting by her [Catch a Glimpse] but she doesn't quit. Catch a Glimpse is a tough filly. I didn't think we'd get by her but she did. We had to be close. Johnny rode a perfect race and did everything right. We had to keep her in contention. There's no way you're going to make up five or six lengths on a filly like Catch a Glimpse. She hits that turn and she takes off. We knew it and Johnny knew it. You have to be able to execute it and she was able to do it."

Mark Casse, trainer of the second place finisher said, "She ran well, I'm proud of her. She tries so hard and she runs so hard. Even Secretariat got beat here. It happens. A better filly beat her today."

Sent off as the 1.75-1 second choice Time and Motion paid $5.50, 2.70, and 2.10. Catch a Glimpse, the .60-1 favorite, paid $2.20 and 2.10. These two combined for a chalky $2 exacta payout of $8.50.  Time and Motion upped her career record to 8: 4-1-1 with earnings of $683,150.