Motion tabbed for Team Valor
 

After getting Melnyk back, Pletcher loses a few, including Pluck, in this equation..


Motion to train all Team Valor horses in North America

Graham Motion, effective immediately, will train all of Team Valor International's horses based in North America. Barry Irwin's far-flung stable will be housed under one roof in a 40-stall barn that Team Valor is buying at Fair Hill Training Center near Elkton, Maryland.

Team Valor and Motion came to a mutual agreement last week prior to the Breeders' Cup, in which Motion saddled the winner of the Filly & Mare Turf (G1) in Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) and Team Valor owned the winner of the Juvenile Turf (G2) in Pluck (More Than Ready).

Good. I don't like seeing Team Valor in the winners circle.

Pletcher just got Plucked...:p

But he was more than ready.:eek:

Pletcher's day rate must be too high. They've obviously taken a sufficient bath on the Valiant Passion purchase and need to cut corners somewhere. Graham Motion is currently 2 for his last 50 with graded stakes horses on dirt, good for a $0.96 ROI. This should be fun.

What Gene Melnyk giveth, Barry Irwin taketh away.

Barry Irwin is a snobbish dolt. I love how he "recalls" Fourstars Allstar and his improbable win in the Irish 2000 Guineas, but doesn't recall his own Star Of Cozzene going over to Europe the following year and getting dusted in Group 3 races. Can't wait to watch this horse trail behind 4 or 5 second-tier Coolmore colts at the Curragh. He ought to watch tapes of Nownownow in the same race a couple years back if he really wants to do some meaningful research.

In a related story, it seems that, in retrospect, Noble's Promise possibly could have won both the Preakness and the BC Sprint this year had his campaigned not been derailed by that silly excursion to Ascot for the St. James's Palace.

It's probably nothing comapred to the bath that they took on Toboggan Slide and Carraige Trade.

That includes Bullsbay paying $30+ in the Whitney, if your stats are correct...( I trust they are.)

Yep, the two winners were Bullsbay twice in the Whitney and Alysheba.

Sharp Post.

BTW, when was the last time Team Valor had a dirt horse?
The Pletcher LA bred that won the Woody Stephens or something like 4 years ago is the only one I know.

Oh boy.

How was it silly exactly? He was unplaced. Yeah, yeah, I know, the owners got to meet the Queen and he did beat 2000 Guineas winner Makfi (whom he knocked off stride midstretch while bearing out badly).

Given his effort in the Derby, and his head-to-head record with Lookin At Lucky in 4 previous starts, he conceivably could have won the Preakness.

Doesn't this just make it even more silly that he would ship out of the country to run while the "weak" horses from his crop reaped all the spoils in the summer and fall?

A classic argument. Of course, it's false. The horse has like 20-odd owners. They were all over the Derby telecast, remember?

Too bad he'll be 4 by the time March comes around.

I take back all the other stuff I said.

When compared to the stimulant-fueled fantasy above, running Noble's Promise at Ascot wasn't particularly silly.

He's got Mike Smith on him. He'll finish well.

How can you call it the right move? He missed months of races here where he would have been a strong contender.

The horse ran well, but it's not like running 5th is some great accomplishment. Leo O'brien took a NY Bred to Ireland and won the Irish 2000 Guineas, so there is someone in this country that has duplicated and surpassed what he did.

Yeah, you must love those McPeek horses who fire huge only never to be heard from again or horses who look like they have potential only to never reach the level they should. There's a reason he's Kenny McPeaked.

Sharp Post...besides Hoss, if I recall, isn't the point of racing to enter your horse into spots that the horse is able to win races in? Call me crazy but I always thought that was a goal in racing.

As Rollo pointed out, I'm sure the trip to Ascot was great for all involved. And honestly, I was shocked at how good he came back. But, makes you think what he could have done here. It's not like the 3 year old division was solid this year. He's certainly a nice horse.