Miss Temple City. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
From a Maryland Jockey Club release
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 11th-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.”
