Motovato up in time to take Kenny Noe

Motovato’s three stakes scores have all come at Calder (Jim Lisa Photos/Calder Race Course) Having gotten the better of Dream Maestro (Concerto) in all three encounters earlier this season, Edmund Gann and Michel Jean Zerolo’s MOTOVATO (Proud Citizen) was not about to yield to his rival in one of their bigger showdowns in Saturday’s $100,000 Kenny Noe Jr. H. (G3) at Calder. Following Dream Maestro’s lead in splitting rivals in upper stretch, Motovato had to steady slightly and alter course before wearing down Dream Maestro to take the Noe by a neck under Elvis Trujillo in a time of 1:24 2/5 for seven furlongs over the fast track. The 3-1 second choice in a field of seven, Motovato returned $8, $4.40 and $4.60. While Pechito (Arg) (Interprete) set fractions of :22 2/5 and :46, Dream Maestro maintained a slight advantage over Motovato in the back after a quarter-mile and in midpack approaching the quarter-pole. Dream Maestro saw an opening develop turning for home and was full of run through the stretch, but simply could not hold off Motovato while finishing three lengths clear in second. The 16-1 chance paid $11.60 and $7.80 while completing the $61 exacta. Prince Joshua (First Tour), who enjoyed a brief lead one furlong out after tracking the frontrunner in second, held third by two lengths at 6-1 and returned $4. The trifecta gave back $323 and the superfecta (6-4-1-8) with 8-1 chance Hypocrite (Outofthebox) paid $1,397.40.

Next under the line were 3-5 favorite Biker Boy (Came Home), Pechito and Make
Me Zach (First Tour). Two horses that were expected to contend, This Ones for
Phil (Untuttable) and You and I Forever (A.P. Indy), were scratched as was War
Fighter (Repent).

“We’ll save You and I Forever for the Hal’s Hope (S. [G3] at Gulfstream) next
weekend,” said Marty Wolfson, the trainer of Motovato. “(Motovato) didn’t break
good again today, and with the trip he was getting down the backstretch, I
thought he’d be lucky to hit the board, but he was just so much the best. He’s
been training great.”

Motovato made a successful stakes debut at
Calder on April 25 over Dream Maestro when taking the Sumter S., then finished
second as the favorite in the Memorial Day H. (G3). He rebounded to easily take
the Primal S., then threw a clunker more than two months later when fifth in the
Presque Isle Downs Mile over Tapeta. Last time, the four-year-old was a clear
second as the favorite in the Spend a Buck H. (G3). This third stakes win and
initial graded score boosted his career earnings to $219,179 from a line of
13-5-2-2.

Bred in Kentucky by Elizabeth L. Jones and Brownell Alexander, Motovato was a
$75,000 Keeneland September yearling. Produced from the multiple stakes-placed
Buffalo Bird Woman (Slew City Slew), a half-sister to the Grade 3-placed
producer Powerful Nation (Turkoman), Motovato has a unnamed yearling half-sister
by Proud Citizen.