Motion Eyes Royal Ascot For Miss Temple City, Easy Goer For Donworth
Bodhisattva Doing Well After Preakness
Talk Show Man Preparing For Summer Campaign

BALTIMORE, MD., 05/28/15 –Trainer Graham Motion said Miss Temple City, winner of the Hilltop Stakes May 15 at Pimlico, is on schedule to ship to England for the June 19 Coronation Cup at Royal Ascot.

“I’ve always wanted another opportunity to go back over there,” said Motion, who saddled Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom to an 11^th-place finish at Royal Ascot in 2013 in the Queen Anne Stakes. “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, who won the Hilltop by 2 ¾ lengths, finished third in the Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream in January and second in the Appalachian at Keeneland in April. Motion said he’s also looking forward to running at Royal Ascot because he won’t have to run against Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Appalachian 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 at Fair Hill 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, will likely run June 6 in the $150,000 WinStar Farm Easy Goer on Belmont Stakes Day.

“All the handicappers and everyone tell 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.”
 

BODHISATTVA DOING WELL AFTER PREAKNESS

Despite watching his 3-year-old colt Bodhisattva finish eighth May 16 in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, trainer Jose Corrales wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

“The experience? I cannot buy it again,” Corrales said. “It was the greatest experience.”

Bodhisattva, who went into the Preakness off a victory April 18 in the Federico Tesio, was fifth after the opening quarter mile of the Preakness but steadily dropped back.

“Whatever happened that day with the rain, the lightening, the crowd…you can’t prepare for that,” Corrales said. “I think my horse just got so distracted. Going into the race, I thought my horse was in the best shape, and best form. Did I expect him to run that badly? No, but you can’t control Mother Nature.”

Corrales gave credit to jockey Victor Espinoza for not taking winner American Pharoah off the lead. Corrales believes as soon as Bodhisattva got dirt in his face, “he never came back again.”

Bodhisattva came out of the Preakness in good shape, Corrales added, and is being pointed toward the $500,000 Ohio Derby June 9 and the $75,000 Manitoba Derby August 3.

“I was (in Manitoba) last year and had a really good experience,” Corrales said. “A lot of people don’t want to take a chance to go to a small place like that.”
 

TALK SHOW MAN PREPARING FOR SUMMER CAMPAIGN

Henry S. Clark Stakes winner Talk Show Man will likely have his first work this weekend since finishing 11^th in the Longines Dixie Stakes (G2) on Preakness Day.

The Maryland-bred son of Great Notion, who won the Maryland Million Turf Stakes last year, prompted the pace in the Dixie before fading down the stretch.

“I know we were in a tough spot,” said trainer Hamilton Smith. “I’m not saying he would have beaten those horses by any means, but I thought we could have made an earlier move. (Jockey Xavier) Perez had the horse in perfect position on the backside. What I thought he did wrong was sit on him. He should never have let the horses come to him like that. I think he just likes to be a little further off the pace than where he was and make his run.”

Smith said he’s looking at an allowance race on the turf June 5 at Pimlico. “I might try to give him an easier spot to get his confidence back,” he said. “If that (race) doesn’t go, maybe a little overnight stakes at Delaware (Park). He can run on either surface. I just think he’s a better horse on the turf.”