Motion Hoping for Home Cooking in Saturday’s Gallorette (G3)

Maryland Trainer Taking Two Shots in 1 1/16-Mile Grass Stakes

LAUREL, MD – Laurel Park may be unknown territory for those accustomed to historic Pimlico Race Course as the traditional host track of the Preakness Stakes (G1) and its stakes-filled weekend program.

But it’s nothing new for Maryland-based trainer Graham Motion.

“That’s where I started,” Motion said. “It’s kind of my home track.”

As is Motion’s custom, he plans to send a contingent of horses from his base at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. about 75 miles from Laurel, to participate in the Preakness weekend cards.

Among them is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Warming, a 4-year-old filly that was one of eight entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Gallorette (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares 3 and up. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez is named to ride.

Warming is the only member of the field with a graded-stakes win on her resume, having finished on top in the Autumn Miss (G3) at Santa Anita in October.

Afterward, Motion tried her on dirt and all-weather surfaces, with her two most recent outings coming on synthetic at Gulfstream Park [second in a handicap in January] and Turfway Park [third in the listed Latonia in March].

“I don’t think she’s quite as good on the [synthetic] as she is on grass,” Motion said. “I really freshened her up for this spot. She’s in good form, so hopefully freshening her up has done her some good.”

Motion also entered Frasseto Stables’ Ribaltagaia, who finished third in the listed Dahlia March 18 at Laurel following a layoff of eight months.

“She started her career in Europe,” Motion said. “She ran very well [in the Dahlia] and probably got a little tired off a break.”

Trainer Chad Brown also has two horses entered as he seeks his seventh victory in the Gallorette: Jeffrey Drown’s Accent and Child of the Moon, owned by Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and Louis Lazzinnaro LLC.

Child of the Moon has won three of 12 career races with $219,000 in lifetime earnings while the lightly raced Accent will be making just her fifth career start and first against graded company. She has won three of her four races but his entering the Gallorette off her lone defeat, a fourth-place finish last month in the listed Plenty of Grace at Aqueduct.

The 5-year-old mare Austere returns to the Gallorette after finishing second in the race last year. Austere is trained by Brendan Walsh for owners Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Cambron Equine LLC, Tucci Stables and Gary Finder.

Pick View LLC’s Cheetah Lady will be seeking her first stakes win. The 4-year-old filly is coming off a second-place effort in the listed Pago Pago at Fair Grounds in December.

“We thought this was a good opportunity,” said trainer Whit Beckman. “We want to run some horses there [Laurel], and she’s one that fits.”

Whitman will also be saddling maiden Ocelli, third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby (G1), in Saturday’s Preakness.

“She’s a Quality Road mare,” Whitman said of Cheetah Lady. “If we get a little more black type, she gets extremely valuable.”

Other contenders include Awesome Czech and Mahra’s Love. Tropical Racing’s Mahra’s Love is coming off a second-place finish in the Dahlia for Maryland-based trainer Michelle Nihei. Barry Schwartz’s New York-bred Awesome Czech has amassed more than $630,000 in career earnings in 20 lifetime starts [six wins] but will be making her first appearance in graded company for trainer Horacio De Paz.