Main Sequence to Make Season Debut in Mac Diarmida

Sixteen weeks after capping an undefeated season in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), Main Sequence makes his highly anticipated 6-year-old debut in Saturday’s 20th renewal of the $200,000 Mac Diarmida (G3) on the turf at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida is one of eight stakes, seven of them graded, on a 12-race card that includes the $400,000 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth (G2), the next step on the road to Gulfstream’s $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 28.

Trained by Graham Motion for Flaxman Holdings, Main Sequence was bred and raced in England before coming to the U.S. last year where he won each of his four starts, all in Grade 1 grass stakes. A finalist for Horse of the Year, the gelded son of Aldebaran was crowned Champion Older Male and Champion Turf Male at the January 17 Eclipse Awards, hosted by Gulfstream Park.

“It was very rewarding and very gratifying. I could never imagine that when the horse came to me at this time last year that we would have had that kind of a year ahead of us,” Motion said. “The horse has done everything we’ve asked. Every time I’ve worked him, every time I’ve run him he always seems to improve to me. He just continues to impress me. I think the Breeders’ Cup was kind of the ultimate where he really put it together that day.”

Main Sequence reeled off wins in the United Nations, Sword Dancer and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic with dramatic late runs before reeling in Flintshire to capture the Breeders’ Cup Turf by a half-length, his largest margin of victory. He was given some time off with Motion at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland prior to joining the trainer’s string in late December at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“Basically he had a freshening in November after the Breeders’ Cup and had his first breeze at Fair Hill before Christmas,” Motion said. “Really, everything has gone pretty smoothly. He’s breezed mostly every week. Knock on wood, everything has gone well. I ended up giving him just about a month off because he was quite full of himself and quite eager to get on with doing something. I would say he looks pretty fit, to be honest.”

Main Sequence has had five timed works at Palm Meadows since his arrival, most recently going seven furlongs on the turf course in 1:23.90 in company with French Group 2-placed Bravodino, also owned by Flamxan. Motion has long targeted the Mac Diarmida to kick off his campaign, which he hopes includes a trip to Dubai for the $6 million Sheema Classic (G1) on March 28.

Motion followed a similar blueprint with Animal Kingdom, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner who ran second in the 2013 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1) before winning the Dubai World Cup (G1).

“The Mac Diarmida is kind of a no-brainer, being a mile and three-eighths. I’ve never run him shorter than a mile and three-eighths,” Motion said. “Perhaps I could have run him in the Gulfstream Park Handicap; it would have given him a couple extra weeks before Dubai, but I think the mile and three-eighths was very appealing to me and it enabled me to give him a little more time off.”

Rajiv Maragh, winner in the first three starts but injured for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, regains the mount at topweight of 123 pounds.

A familiar opponent on Saturday will be Twilight Eclipse, last year’s Mac Diarmida winner who finished behind Main Sequence in all four of his races last year including neck losses United Nations and Joe Hirsch. The 6-year-old Purim gelding was third by 1 ¾ lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

The Mac Diarmida was the only win in seven 2014 starts for Twilight Eclipse who banked more than $700,000 and topped the $1 million mark in lifetime earnings. He is 2-for-3 at Gulfstream, including a world record-setting victory for 1 ½ miles in the 2013 Pan American (G3).

“We were very pleased with his race in the Breeders’ Cup. We’d been really happy with the horse all last year,” trainer Tom Albertrani said. “Right now it looks like he’s in great shape. He’s training really well. For me, the horse couldn’t look any better.”

Twilight Eclipse will carry Javier Castellano and 121 pounds from post 6.

Multiple graded stakes-winner Divine Oath is perfect in three career starts at Gulfstream, beating older horses in the 1 ½-mile W. L. McKnight (G3) on December 27 to cap a 3-year-old season that also included wins in the Kent (G3) at Keeneland and American Derby (G3) at Arlington Park.

“I like everything about the race for him except for the fact that Main Sequence is pointing for it,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Divine Oath for Let’s Go Stable. “[The McKnight] was just sort of a gut feel that we had that the horse would handle a little more ground. I believe he was the only 3-year-old in the race so we thought it was a pretty impressive effort from him and showed that he can handle the three-turn distance. This is a logical race for him and he’s doing very well. We know it’s going to be a challenge with the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner in there.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride Divine Oath from post 7 and 121 pounds.

Grade 3-placed Arctic North, second in the H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream on January 31; Money Talker, second in Woodbine’s Sky Classic (G2) last summer; recent Gulfstream allowance winner Change of Command; Marqueteer and Shiva Ryan complete the field.

Source: Gulfstream Park Press Release