Motion seeks Stephen Foster redemption with King Zachary

Graham Motion hopes Saturday's Grade 2, $600,000 Stephen Foster has better things in store for him than the 2018 renewal.

“I had a terrible night last year competing in the same race,” the trainer said. “So I’ve got that in the back of my mind. 

“I did not have a good experience last year with Irish War Cry.”

The three-time graded stakes winner pressed the pace early as the race's second choice but then abruptly stopped along Churchill Downs' far turn. He was pulled up and vanned back to the barn as a precaution.

It turned out the heat on a steamy night in Louisville, Ky., triggered in Irish War Cry an electrolyte imbalance known as thumps. The colt officially retired months later to begin his stud career.

This time, Motion's aiming for a better Stephen Foster ending with King Zachary, another son of Curlin campaigned by Tom Conway.

King Zachary drew the No. 8 post in a field of 12 for Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, set to go off at 9:47 p.m. NBC Sports Network will broadcast the "Win and You're In" race toward the Breeders' Cup Classic.

“He’s a very classy horse,” Motion said of King Zachary, who owns three wins from 10 starts, with those victories coming in 2018 as a 3-year-old while conditioned by former trainer Dale Romans.

After winning Churchill's Matt Winn (G3) on Foster night, King Zachary finished off the board in his three ensuing starts before transferring to Motion’s barn over the winter. He’s run only once so far at 4, finishing third May 4 in a one-mile allowance optional claiming race on Churchill’s Kentucky Derby undercard.

That “was probably a little shorter than he wanted to go and a little shorter than I wanted to run him,” Motion said. “But I needed to get him started. I also felt it was a good setup to get him to the Stephen Foster if we decided to do that.”

King Zachary has worked since his last start at Motion’s Maryland home base, Fair Hill. In his most recent work, he breezed six furlongs Saturday in 1:14.40.

Jockey Javier Castellano will have the mount on King Zachary for the Stephen Foster.

(King Zachary leads the 2018 Matt Winn. / Coady Photography)

Varenka’s start Saturday will be her third in graded company. The daughter of Ghostzapper ran second in last September’s Miss Grillo Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park and then fifth in November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill.

“She ran well there at Churchill in the Breeders’ Cup,” Motion said. “She handled the turf course well. If she can duplicate that form, I imagine that makes her competitive.”

Varenka scored her first win May 11 at Belmont in a maiden special weight event. The Augustin Stable filly won by two lengths over Romantic Pursuit in a field of 12 going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

“It’s a little bit hard to gauge what she beat that day, but she did it impressively,” Motion said.

Varenka breezed six furlongs in 1:14.60 on Saturday at Fair Hill. Castellano will have the mount in the Regret.