Inside the Trip: Main Sequence's Mac Diarmida

Main Sequence captures the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park to extend his win streak to five races. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Main Sequence just cannot lose in America.
The multiple Eclipse Award-winner did it again for Graham Motion, taking the Mac Diarmida Stakes, his first run of the season, and a great prep for the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic on March 28. Breaking from the rail, the son of Aldebaran settled and saved ground and was more than four lengths off the lead after the first mile of the race. Rajiv Maragh brought him three-wide, then out to four-wide on the final of three turns and the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner took off.
2015 MAC DIARMIDA

There was no two-turn dirt race on the Gulfstream card to compare against the Fountain of Youth, but interestingly enough, there were two races over 1 3/8 miles on the turf, lending some perspective to the big runs from Main Sequence and Twilight Eclipse. The Grade 3 The Very One Stakes, run as race five, featured some hard-knocking mares and saw Riposte lead the field through pedestrian, almost steeplechase-like fractions. When comparing the first four- and six-furlong splits to the Mac Diarmida, you will easily see how much faster the early pace was in the Mac Diarmida, but it’s the speed of the males even with their quicker pace that intrigues. Below are the sectional times for both races.

Despite running at least two seconds quicker through the first half mile in the The Very One Stakes, Main Sequence was still faster than the field over the final furlong, then tied over the last two furlongs and just marginally slower than Bitty Kitty, who recorded the fastest splits for the final three furlongs from the fillies’ race.
If we rightly assume that Graham Motion did not have his gelding fully tuned for this event as a $6 million prize looms at the end of March, America could be in for a big night in the desert!
Fountain of Youth
Despite the disqualification that bumped Upstart from his 2 ½-length victory to second place, the Rick Violette trainee ran quite well. Running three-wide for the majority of the race, Upstart covered more ground than any other horse in the race. The son of Flatter ran 20 feet more than Itsaknockout, who was crowned the winner, 54 feet more than third-placed Frammento, and 15 feet more than Frosted, who looked as if he was going to draw away entering the home stretch. Those distance deltas suggest Upstart covered between 1 ¾ and 6 ¼ lengths more than the three rivals.
2015 FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH STAKES

Frammento ran on well for third, closing in a race-quickest 26.57 seconds, substantially faster than the rest of the field. Upstart only got the job done second-fastest in 27.81, 1.24 seconds slower than Frammento. The adjudged winner Itsaknockout got the final quarter in 28.05.
Canadian Turf Stakes
Long On Value was particularly impressive winning the Canadian Turf Stakes, sustaining a long run that saw him move for the front just beyond the midpoint of the backstretch.
2015 CANADIAN TURF STAKES

Note the sectional times offered below, showing the third quarter of the one-mile race, the final quarter and final eighth, along with the average speeds.

No other horse was able to sustain the run exhibited by Long On Value, though Jack Milton certainly tried, falling short in final furlong. The two were practically equal in their action over the third quarter mile of the race, but Long On Value maintained that performance while Jack Milton got the final quarter 0.29 seconds slower. Sixth-placer Mr. Online had the second-fastest final furlong.
Mackenzie Kirker-Head contributed to this report.