Miss Temple City on Schedule for Royal Ascot

Trainer Graham Motion said Hilltop Stakes winner Miss Temple City is on schedule to ship to England for the June 19 Coronation Stakes (Eng-I) for 3-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot.

"I've always wanted another opportunity to go back over there," said Motion, who saddled Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner Animal Kingdom   to an 11th-place finish at Royal Ascot in the 2013 Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I). "I love the fact she can go over there and run against 3-year-olds and not open company, which is hard to do. I like that she can run against 3-year-olds, go a mile, which we know she can do, and she's a filly who has never run on Lasix, and that's a big fact, too."

Miss Temple City won the 1 1/16-mile Hilltop by 2 3/4 lengths, finished third in the Sweetest Chant Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park in January and was second to Lady Eli in the Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland in April. Motion said he's also looking forward to running at Royal Ascot because he won't have to run against undefeated Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) winner Lady Eli, who "looks awfully good, and if (Miss Temple City) stays here, she has to run with her."

Motion said he'll likely work Miss Temple City, by Temple City  , at Fair Hill Training Center once before leaving.

"My inclination would be to give her a work before she left, probably over the steeplechase course," he said. "As long as the ground is all right, I want to give her a nice work under similar circumstances that she's going to have to deal with over there. Fair Hill has that. The steeplechase course, the last quarter of a mile, is uphill. I think it's a perfect scenario for her to get some experience for that. So that's my idea, to gallop her there once or twice and then breeze her before she leaves."

Motion also said Donworth, the beaten favorite May 16 in the Sir Barton Stakes, will likely run June 6 in the $150,000 WinStar Farm Easy Goer on Belmont Stakes day.

"All the handicappers and everyone tells me he ran his race and he was just up against the inside speed bias," Motion said. "I think it's a fair comment to say that in retrospect. I'm not as disappointed two weeks later than I was on the day of. I think he ran his race and he was beaten by a nice horse, and he came out of the race well. 

"He's such a big horse that he has trouble getting away from the gate and trouble getting around tighter turns. It's always been an issue. I think the wider turns at Belmont should help him."