Motion sends out three runners for Ride to the Million at Arlington

Trainer Graham Motion will have quite a busy day on Saturday with horses racing across the country in five different states. Three of his runners will be at Arlington International Racecourse contending stakes at Ride to the Million, presented by Miller Lite on July 7.

Motion will be represented by Just Howard in the Grade III $100,000 Arlington Handicap, who breaks from post nine under jockey Feargal Lynch at morning line odds of 20-1. Owned by Skeedattle Associates, the 4-year-old son of English Channel was recently third in the Grade III Dixie Stakes at Pimlico, which was taken off the turf and run over a sloppy going. It was his first start of 2018.

“Clearly he’s a better grass horse,” Motion said. “He was also coming off a layoff but (running on an off track) wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Just Howard is one of four graded stakes winners in the Arlington Handicap field. Four starts ago, he captured the Grade III Commonwealth Derby at Laurel Park on September 30, his fourth victory in a row. He previously won a pair of Laurel Park stakes when defeating fellow Maryland-breds in the Caveat Stakes on July 15 and open company in the Find Stakes on August 19.

“This came up a tough race between [Synchrony and Divisidero],” said Motion. “It is a race I’ve had in mind for him. We’ve just kind of freshened him up since he ran at Pimlico and have been looking for the right spot. I love the timing and I love running on that turf course. The extra sixteenth of mile should be good.”

In 12 career starts Just Howard has acquired $292,210 in lifetime earnings, a nice return on investment for the $37,000 that he was purchased for at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2015. He was bred by Howard Bender and purchased from Eaton Sales consignment operation. Just Howard is the third of four foals out of the Alphabet Soup mare Aruban Sandwich, whose other three offspring were winners.

Motion’s other Arlington stakes contenders are Colonia (FR) in the $100,000 Hatoof Stakes and Celestial Insight in the Grade III $100,000 Modesty Handicap.

Breaking from post five at odds of 5-1, Colonia will make her Untied States debut in the Hatoof after having made five previous starts in her native France under the care of Chappet Fabrice. Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Maurice Lagasse and Haras d’Etreham, she is by Champs Elysees (GB) out of the Muhtathir mare Clara Luna who is a half to multiple group winner Don Bosco.

“She’s been really straight forward,” Motion said. “She’s handled everything very well and just kind of fitted in. She’s just a filly that’s done very well since she came here.”

The Elkstone Group’s Celestial Insight will be making her second start for Motion in the Modesty Handicap. She previously was a close second to Lovely Bernadette in the Grade III Old Forester Mint Julep Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 9.

Two days after the 5-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy competes at Arlington, she will go through the sales ring at Fasig-Tipton’s July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale where she is listed as Hip 419. She will be consigned by ELiTE Sales.

Prior to racing for Motion, Celestial Insight was under the care of Wesley Ward, for whom she won her first two career starts – a maiden special weight at Belmont Park in September of 2015 and a first level allowance event over the all-weather surface at Turfway Park in December of that year. She went on to win two more allowance events including defeating a group of winners at Keeneland in October 2016, two of which were stakes winners La Piba and Venus Valentine. Celestial Insight did not win again until last November at Churchill Downs when capturing an allowance race on the grass.

“It’s always in the back of your mind when a horse comes off a long layoff that they could come up needing a bit,” Motion said in regards to her most recent start. “I think she’ll handle the distance well. You never know until you try but I have every right to think she can handle it. She’s a pretty nice filly.”

Celestial Insight was bought for $45,000 from Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in 2014. She is the second foal of multiple stakes winner and three-time graded stakes placed mare Bai and Bai.

Elsewhere, Motion sends out Rugbyman in Belmont Park’s Grade III $300,000 Dwyer and Thewayiam (FR) in the $1,00,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational. On Saturday however, Motion will be at Delaware Park, where he will saddle Esquisse (FR) in the Grade III $200,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes and Maya Malibu in the Grade III $300,000 Delaware Oaks.