Motion tabbed for Team Valor

[Kasept]

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.

[VOL JACK]

Pletcher just got Plucked...

[HaloWishingwell]

Originally Posted by VOL JACK

Pletcher just got Plucked...

But he was more than ready.

[NTamm1215]

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.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

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.

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

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

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.

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

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by VOL JACK

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.

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

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.

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.

[RolloTomasi]

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.

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

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.

Sharp Post.

[blackthroatedwind]

Oh boy.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by monipenny

How exactly was that silly?

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.

And he certainly is one of the most versatile three year old colts in this weak division this year.

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?

He also owns the horse, so he can do as he pleases.

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

I think he's probably a leading contender for 3 yr olds attending the Dubai races in March.

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

Personally I would try him in the Dubai World Cup and hope for a top five placing. Those guys over there pay for your trip and Kenny will probably ruin him if he doesn't stay in training for this race. i would lay my money on this guy without benefit of even seeing who runs in the desert on that artificial crap. I guess I understand why they installed it, but leveling the playing field so they don't have to sned the money out of town is stupid in my book. I do hope that McPeek keeps this guy good and is available for the older handicap division next year. I think Blu's horse could be real nice as well.

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.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Well, if MP ends up putting in a good showing over here, maybe a trip to a British horse racing forum will be in the offing.

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

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by monipenny

Maybe you can read and maybe you can't. I said he is the leading 3 yr old NOW that would fare well over in Dubai. Tell me, could you pick out a horse like Curlin bub? Hell no! But, McPeek certainly did for a small paltry price. He has a better eye for horse flesh then anybody on this sorry board. And yes it was the right move in only being beat by 2 lengths at Ascot. Anybody in this country could not have duplicated what he did with another horse I bet ya.

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.

[JerseyJ]

Originally Posted by monipenny

Maybe you can read and maybe you can't. I said he is the leading 3 yr old NOW that would fare well over in Dubai. Tell me, could you pick out a horse like Curlin bub? Hell no! But, McPeek certainly did for a small paltry price. He has a better eye for horse flesh then anybody on this sorry board. And yes it was the right move in only being beat by 2 lengths at Ascot. Anybody in this country could not have duplicated what he did with another horse I bet ya.

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.