Nagirroc to Face Familiar Foes in Secretariat Stakes

The past performance lines for 3-year-old turf runner Nagirroc  suggest a colt as consistent as they come, and in this case, trainer Graham Motion said the real-life experience matches what shows up on paper for the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2T) Aug. 12 at Colonial Downs.

"I think he really is," Motion said. "I feel like we threw a lot at him from the get-go. He handled everything we asked him to do, including running third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). You could be a little disappointed with how he ran at Keeneland this spring when he came back but that turned out to be a really key race in the end.

"He just hasn't done much wrong. So yeah, I think he's remarkable and I think he's better this year. He's improved physically and probably even talent-wise."

The Secretariat is one of the stakes formerly contested on the Arlington Million day undercard that has been moved to Colonial following the closing of Arlington International Racecourse.

After scoring his maiden win second-out and winning the Futurity Stakes (G3T) at the Belmont at the Big A meeting, Motion put the son of Lea   on a path to the Juvenile Turf at Keeneland, where Nagirroc would finish third as the field's top United States-based runner. Nagirroc placed in one more stakes to finish the season and began 2023 by finishing second in Keeneland's Transylvania Stakes (G3T) before landing his first victory of the year in the James W. Murphy Stakes on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

Never off the board in eight career starts, Little Red Feather, Madaket Stables, and William Strauss' Nagirroc enters Saturday's mile test for 3-year-olds on Colonial's inner turf off a third-place finish in the Manila Stakes (G3T) July 7 at Belmont Park. He will wear blinkers for the third straight race after rallying from just off the pace in the James W. Murphy before racing near the lead in the Manila and then fading to third. Jockey Flavien Prat, who will be aboard Saturday, suggested adding the blinkers ahead of the Murphy.

"At Pimlico it worked great; now last time he was pretty sharp with them," Motion said. "There's a fine line between having him settle with the blinkers but at the same time the blinkers have helped him because he ran such a powerful race at Pimlico. I do think the one-turn at Belmont is tricky. Those races almost play like sprints and they don't get to settle. I'm hoping going back to two turns at Colonial will help him, and Flavien knows him a little bit better now too."

Many of the eight 3-year-olds entered Saturday are plenty familiar with one another, enough to play an equine-type "Kevin Bacon" game. Godolphin's Silver Knott , who drew the rail, finished second in last year's Juvenile Turf—2 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place Nagirroc. BBN Racing's Mo Stash , who will start from post 4, finished fourth in last year's Juvenile Turf after leading that race into the stretch. Mo Stash won this year's Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland, where Nagirroc finished second. 

Silver Knott, who cuts back in distance after finishing fifth in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) July 8, is the second morning-line choice at 3-1 while Mo Stash is the third choice at 5-1. Another 5-1 morning line choice was Victory Racing Partners' More Than Looks , who will scratch after running third in Friday's National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course.