Stuck between a rock and a hard place, trainer Graham Motion opted to run Miss Temple City (Temple City) against the boys in Keeneland's GI Maker's 46 Mile rather than face champion Tepin (Bernstein) in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley S. in Lexington. That decision paid off in a big way Friday evening when the 4-year-old filly, who was returning off a six-month layoff, powered home to an impressive score over Heart to Heart (English Channel). Sent off at 6-1, the dark bay sat a few lengths back off pacesetting Heart to Heart and his shadow Shining Copper (Aragorn {Ire}) in third through early splits of :23.30 and :46.03. Closing the gap while running two-wide approaching the far turn, she determinedly ran down the stubborn leader, who was attempting to go on with it in the stretch, and rolled clear to earn her first Grade I win by 1 1/4 lengths.
“Tepin's already beaten the boys,” Motion said of his decision to run in the Maker's Mile over the Jenny Wiley. “She's proven she's one of the best milers in the country–if not the best miler in the country. I really wasn't crazy about running against her.”
The conditioner continued, “I loved the fact that we got the weight [break] today; [jockey] Drayden [Van Dyke] could do the weight. He suits this filly so well. I think this filly is better than she was last year. She's improved physically. She looks like a colt.”
Van Dyke was equally impressed with his mount's performance saying, “[I had an] ideal trip. Couldn't have asked for a better trip. [When I asked her to respond] she took off like a rocket. She's such a nice filly.”
Opening her account with a pair of wins as a juvenile in 2014, Miss Temple City finished third in last January's GIII Sweetest Chant S. and was second to undefeated Lady Eli (Divine Park) three months later in this venue's GIII Applachian S. Returning to winning ways in Pimlico's Hilltop S. last May, she took a trip across the pond, where she finished a respectable fourth in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation S. in June. Runner-up to Sentiero Italia (Medaglia d'Oro) when making her Stateside return in Saratoga's GII Lake Placid last August, the dark bay completed the trifecta behind that rival next out in Belmont's GII Sands Point S. Sept. 12. Miss Temple City overcame a rough trip to miss by just a head when last seen in the nine-furlong GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup over this strip Oct. 10 and only returned to the worktab in mid-February.
The winner is a full-sister to Pricedtoperfection, who captured Gulfstream's Sweetest Chant Jan. 30; and a half to the unraced juvenile filly Five Each Way (Bullet Train {GB}). Her dam was bred back to MGISW “TDN Rising Star” Verrazano.
Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S 46 MILE S.-GI, $300,000, KEE, 4-15, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.09, fm.
1–@&MISS TEMPLE CITY, 113, f, 4, by Temple City
1st Dam: Glittering Tax (SP), by Artax
2nd Dam: Nancy's Glitter, by Glitterman
3rd Dam: Starfire Voyage, by Fire Dancer
($10,000 RNA Ylg '13 KEEJAN). O-Sagamore Farm, Allen
Rosenblum, and The Club Racing LLC; B-Bobfeld Bloodstock
(KY); T-H. Graham Motion; J-Drayden Van Dyke. $180,000.
Lifetime Record: 10-4-3-2, $562,799. *full to
Pricedtoperfection, GSW, $129,960.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++[bullet ad=”feld-fambred”][bullet ad=”38476″][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Heart to Heart, 120, h, 5, English Channel–Ask the Question,
by Silver Deputy. (C$25,000 Ylg '12 CANSEP). O-Terry
Hamilton; B-Red Hawk Ranch (ON); T-Brian A. Lynch. $60,000.[bullet ad=”rodenalistair-yearlingpurchase”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred-sold”]3–Tourist, 118, h, 5, Tiznow–Unbridled Melody, by Unbridled's
Song. O-WinStar Farm LLC, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $30,000.[bullet ad=”de-meric-hip-372″]Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 3HF. Odds: 6.30, 3.30, 3.20.
Also Ran: Reload, Conquest Typhoon, Itsaknockout, Shining Copper, Are You Kidding Me, Dac. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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