Motion has 'two legitimate horses' for Woodbine's Queen's Plate

Trainer Graham Motion, who has won some of thoroughbred racing’s most high-profile events, including the 2011 Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom, will have two chances to reign victorious in Woodbine's upcoming Queen’s Plate, a race he’s long dreamed of winning.

“It’s definitely a race that’s been on my radar, a race that I’d love to say I’ve won,” said Motion, who will send out Sam-Son Farm homebreds Say the Word and Strike Me Down in the 159th edition of the Gallop for the Guineas on June 30 at Woodbine. “Those historic races like the Queen’s Plate – those are the ones that you’d love to win. I’m very fortunate to have these horses for Sam-Son, two legitimate horses. It’s exciting.”

A gelded son of More Than Ready, Say the Word heads into the Plate off a third-place finish in an allowance race at the Toronto oval, contested at 1 1/16 miles over the main track.

Motion is pleased with how the dark bay is coming into his biggest test to date.

“I think he came back a better horse this year,” he offered of the horse with one win, a second and one third from seven starts. “He was a horse we liked early on as a two-year-old and then he was slightly disappointing in the afternoon. After we gave him a break over the winter and gelded him, I think it really improved him. 

“I thought his last race was a very solid effort against older horses. And I don’t think the (Plate, 1 ¼ miles) distance is an issue. I’m very happy with how he’s doing.”

The same can also be said of Strike Me Down, a son of Tapit who has one win, two seconds and a third in four lifetime starts.

His latest effort was a runner-up performance in the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth on June 2.

“For raw talent, I think this horse is the most talented,” said Motion of the grey who finished second in last year’s Cup & Saucer Stakes at Woodbine, the same spot he broke his maiden this May. “He just needs to try and put it together in the afternoon. It’s kind of what you saw in his last race at Monmouth when he made the lead and looked like he was home free and just kind of got to loafing.”

Rafael Hernandez, Woodbine’s leading rider in 2018, will pilot Say the Word. Jose Ortiz gets the call on Strike Me Down.