Main Sequence Takes Flight in Mac Diarmida

Last year’s Champion Turf Horse and Champion Older Horse, as well as Horse of the Year finalist, Flaxman Holdings, Ltd.’s Main Sequence remained undefeated in his fifth North American start as the Graham Motion-trainee made mincemeat of his rivals in his 2015 debut in the Grade 2, $200,000 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.

Reunited with his regular rider Rajiv Maragh for the first time since the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont on Sept. 27, the heavily favored Champion broke from the inside post position. Change of Command assumed the early lead, showing the way in :26.07, :50.92 and 1:16.17 for the opening three quarters and 1:40.29 for the mile.

Money Talker kept within two lengths of the pacesetter, 2-1 second-choice Twilight Eclipse on his outside. Main Sequence settled on the inside in fifth, about six lengths from the leader. Maragh angled the six-year-old gelding off the rail near the half-mile pole and turned four-wide into the stretch.

Twilight Eclipse made his move at the top of the stretch and wrested control from Change of Command. Shaking the pacesetter, Javier Castellano and the son of Purim began to draw away from the field.

Main Sequence rushed past rivals in the stretch and hit another gear to fly by Twilight Eclipse, posting a half-length score in his fifth consecutive victory since joining the Motion barn last spring.

"He was awesome," Motion said after the race. "It’s a huge relief. Rajiv said he was still a little antsy in the gate, but I didn’t realize that. He broke well and for one minute I thought he might be a little close. I think every time this horse has run he has improved, his behavior has improved. He was good as gold today in the paddock, which really impressed me. I think he kind of won for fun, to be honest."

“He’s a superstar,” said Maragh. “I never remember getting that feeling from any other horse. He blows your socks off the way he finishes. He’s a wow horse, definitely.

“He’s a very maneuverable horse. Early in the race, I just wanted to play it like a regular race and let it unfold. By the second turn, I could tell they were going slow and getting bunched up a bit, so on the backstretch I decided any shot that I got to get to the outside I was going to take it. When the opportunity presented itself at the half-mile, five-eighths pole, I just took it, and from there on it was clear sailing.”

The winner completed the 1 3/8 route in 2:15.06 over a firm turf course.

West Point Thoroughbreds’ Twilight Eclipse has had the misfortune of meeting Main Sequence in all of his North American races, finishing third twice and running second to the champ on three occasions.

"He ran well,” said Twilight Eclipse’s trainer Tom Albertrani. “Like I said earlier he had a couple of encounters in his previous races where he got trapped on the inside. Today we got first the run [on Main Sequence] but we still couldn't beat him, but I thought he ran his race and ran huge.”

Change of Command held on for third. Money Talker was fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, the dual Eclipse Award winner boasts lifetime earnings of more than $3.4 million with an overall record of nine wins, three seconds and three thirds from 19 lifetime starts.