Motion's Trio May Make Him Winningest Dowager Trainer

After not having a trainee in last year's Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T), Graham Motion returns with a trio of contenders hoping to win the race a record fourth time Oct. 23 at Keeneland.

Motion won the Dowager in 2004 (Humaita ), 2015 (Kitten's Point ) and most recently in 2020 with Blame Debbie .

In the race's 31-year history, only Bill Mott (2005, 2013, 2014) and Patrick Byrne (1996, 1997, 2000) have won the Dowager as many times. 

"Any of these races at Keeneland have history," Motion said. "I think I just won the Sycamore (Stakes, G3T) for maybe the third time, which I guess I'm getting that old. This is starting to happen. And I never thought about it before, but you know, that's very cool. I mean, that's a big deal, for sure. These are divisions that we tend to have horses for, so it wouldn't be a complete surprise, but it's very gratifying. But to win any stakes at Keeneland more than once it's very gratifying, right?"

The 1 1/2-mile contest for fillies and mares 3 and up comes with a $300,000 purse. All but two of the 11 entrants are Kentucky-bred. Those two, plus one other, comprise Motion's trio of entrants.

Florida-bred Sister Otoole  will leave the starting gate with a first and second in her last two starts. She took home the CTT and TOC Stakes Aug. 19 at Del Mar and before that finished second by 1 1/4 lengths to Key Biscayne  in the Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes (G3T) at Delaware Park. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Sister Otoole is out of the Distorted Humor  mare O'Toole, a half sister to Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) winner Well Armed . Sister Otoole is the most favored of the trio, opening at 8-1.

"Sister Otoole, I've pointed her for this ever since she ran at Del Mar," explained Motion. "She does well with time between races. There were some times at the beginning of the year when I just ran her back too quickly... The timing is really good for this race."

He added, "I'm trying to run Sister Otoole a shorter trip. But this is what she wants to do. I love this filly. I mean she is so freakin' game... She's only won three times, but she's a very hard-knocking kind of overachiever. She's very tough in the morning. Very difficult, but just very genuine in the afternoon."

Motion's other Florida-bred trainee is Mia Martina . She is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi. After winning her first two races of her career, one at the end of 2020 and the next in early 2021, she only had two top-three finishes in her next nine times out. Then, earlier this month, she won an allowance race on the same turf course as the Dowager.

"It kind of became a logical spot to run Mia Martina in after she won at the beginning of the meet," Motion said. "She ran a good race and obviously handles (the) course. So this just seemed to make sense because we're at that time of year where we have less opportunities."

The third member of Motion's trio is the Larry Johnson-owned Go Big Blue Nation . The Animal Kingdom  mare out of Chelsea Road hasn't won in more than a year and, at 20-1, has the longest odds. But last time out, she came in second by half a length and was 30 1/2 lengths up on the third place finisher in an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont at the Big A meet late last month.

Said Motion, "She really wants firm grass this filly and I think the way Keeneland's been, I think it should suit her."

Motion is not the only multiple-time Dowager-winning conditioner with a trainee in Sunday's race. Shug McGaughey has won the race twice—with Casablanca Smile  in 2010 and Apple Betty  in 2017—and will be represented by Flying Fortress (10-1).

Also in the field is the morning line favorite at 3-1, Pocket Aces Racing and Somewhere Stable Kentucky's Temple City Terror , whose career earnings are tops among the 11. She's earned $521,843 in 27 starts, including 15 top-three finishes. The next closest in earnings is Catherine Wills' Luck Money , the second favorite at 4-1, who earned $466,943 in 21 career starts. She has finished in the top three 15 times, including a second-place showing in last year's Dowager. 

Temple City Terror may be the fastest lady in the field. In all but one of her last 11 races, which span the last two years, she posted an E Speed Figure in triple digits. That lone outing came in a rainy Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes this year—the same race in which Sister Otoole finished second. 

Entries: Rood and Riddle Dowager S. (G3T)

Keeneland, Sunday, October 23, 2022, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Coastana (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Cherie DeVaux	6/1
2	2Luck Money (KY)	Vincent Cheminaud	121	Arnaud Delacour	4/1
3	3Core Values (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Victoria H. Oliver	15/1
4	4Flying Fortress (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Claude R. McGaughey III	10/1
5	5Temple City Terror (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	Brendan P. Walsh	3/1
6	6Sister Otoole (FL)	Luis Saez	121	H. Graham Motion	8/1
7	7Beside Herself (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
8	8Stand Tall (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	George R. Arnold, II	12/1
9	9Queen Bourbon (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	121	Ian R. Wilkes	15/1
10	10Go Big Blue Nation (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	H. Graham Motion	20/1
11	11Mia Martina (FL)	Joel Rosario	121	H. Graham Motion	15/1