Graham Motion has entered the pair of Royal Patronage (5-2) and Pao Alto (3-1) in the PG County. Highclere Thoroughbred Racing’s 4-year-old Royal Patronage was a two-time group-stakes winner in England before coming to the U.S. last spring, finishing fifth by less than two lengths in the 1 ¼-mile Belmont Derby (G1) in his North American debut.

Moved to Motion following the race, Royal Patronage finished off the board in the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) and Virginia Derby (G3) before getting the rest of the year off. He returned with a determined neck triumph in an open allowance April 20 at Keeneland and most recently ran fifth by three lengths in the Arlington (G3) June 3 at Churchill Downs, both races contested at 1 1/16 miles.

“I thought when he won the first time out this year, he did it the right way. He did it how we’d hope he would do it,” Motion said. “I was a little disappointed with his last race. I thought he ran huge at Keeneland. We kind of put it down to the ground being very firm at Churchill on that new turf course, so I’m hoping some of the rain this week might help us a little bit. But he’s done well since the race.”

Feargal Lynch rides Royal Patronage from Post 2.

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“I think the mile and an eighth is a good trip for him,” Motion said. “He might even appreciate a little further.”

Wertheimer & Frere’s Pao Alto drew outermost Post 8 under Jorge Ruiz for the Prince George’s County. Bred in France like his stablemate, the 6-year-old gelding won group stakes in Europe and Qatar but makes his first start in 5 ½ months still seeking his first North American victory.

“He’s perhaps been a little bit disappointing in the afternoon because he trains like a nice horse,” Motion said. “I’m hoping that the freshening has done him good. He had been running pretty consistently when he came to me last year in the fall.”

Pao Alto’s stateside debut came last September at Pimlico Race Course, when he ran second by 1 ½ lengths in the Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G1). Two starts later he was third in the one-mile Artie Schiller over a yielding Aqueduct course and he raced twice last winter at Gulfstream Park, finishing seventh in the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale (G2) and eighth in the 1 ½-mile W. L. McKnight (G3), the latter Jan. 28.

“He ended up being a little disappointing in Florida so we decided it was a good time to give him a break. He spent a month or two in Ocala and then joined us this spring, and he has done well since. He hasn’t really missed a beat since he came back to us,” Motion said. “It’s a competitive race but I certainly think they both stack up.”

The field also includes defending champ Eons (12-1). The Arnaud Delacour trainee was elevated to first by disqualification after finishing second last year. That was his second consecutive win, but he hasn’t won in five subsequent starts. Victor Carrasco will ride.

A pair of horses trained by Kenny McPeek, Camp Hope (6-1) and 2022 Kentucky Derby contestant Tiz the Bomb (4-1), are expected to scratch.

The PG County is scheduled as race seven on the nine-race program.