WILMINGTON,Del.--Graham Motion saddled Sopran Basilea (Ire) to win the G3, $250,000, 1 3/8 mile Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes on the turf at Delaware Park on July 1.
Sopran Basilea, number 7 on the rail, winning the Robert J. Dick Memorial Stakes (Photo by Hoofprints Inc.)Madaket Stables and Bill Strauss' Sopran Basilea was one of eight winners Motion has had over the past few weeks.
Sopran Basilea, a 5-year-old mare, won by neck in her second race in this country.
She was imported after racing in Italy, where she had five wins and fives seconds from 15 starts, and in her first race in this country ran second in the G3 Gallorette Stakes in May.
Wethheimer and Frere's homebred Toupie was an impressive winner in her very first race, a $53,520 five furlong Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-old fillies at Laurel, also on July 1.
Toupie set the pace, opened a clear lead in upper stretch and increased her lead under a hand ride to win by 8 lengths.
BRIDLEWOOD Farm and Madaket Stables' No Show Sammy won a $90,000, 1 mile Maiden Special Weight race on the turf for 3 year olds and up at Belmont on June 24.
No Show Sammy raced four wide on the turn, went into the lead in upper stretch and won by 2 1/4 lengths in her second start after finishing fourth at Belmont in May.
Calumet Farm's homebred Sun Bee won a $38,000, 1 1/16 mile Maiden Special Weight turf race for 3 year olds and up at Delaware Park on July 8.
Sun Bee won by a neck after finishing second four times earlier this year as well as finishing second twice last year.
Motion's other winners included Madaket Stables' Easter (Fr) in a $100,000, 1 mile Allowance race on the turf at Belmont on June 22 and Shamrock Farm's Thegirlfromireland in a $60,870, 1 mile Allowance race on the turf at Laurel on June 23.
Easter won by 3/4 length and Thegirlfroireland won by 12 lengths.
Motion then saddled Wertheimer and Freres' homebred Dataman to win a $38,000, 1 mile and 70 yards Allowance race at Delaware by 11 1/4 lengths on June 28 and Newcal Stable's homebred Chulainn to win a $100,000, 1 1/4 mile Allowance on the turf by a neck at Belmont on July 1.
BERNIE HOUGHTON had four winners at Penn National including one of his own homebreds.
WMT Stable and Sylmar Farm's Simply Stated, bred by Houghton's WMT Stables, won a $31,600, 6 furlong Allowance race by 11 lengths on June 22.
Joseph Viviani's Morgan's Cove, bred by Betsy Houghton, won an $18,000, 6 furlong Starter Optional Claiming race by 1 1/2 lengths, also on June 22.
In both those races, Houghton also had the fourth place finishers in Union Folly and Happy Ride.
On July 7, Houghton was also first and fourth in a $20,767, 6 furlong Starter Optional Claiming race, winning with Theresa Rooney Meis' Kilimanjara, who scored by a neck, and fourth with Morgan's Cove.
Edward J. Madden's homebred Hop to a Decision won a $13,392 Claiming race by a neck on July 12.
MICHAEL MATZ saddled Runnymoore Racing's Stern Chaser to win a $36,900, 1 mile Maiden Claiming race on the turf by a neck at Laurel on June 25.
Matz saddled a second winner for Runnymoore at Delware Park on July 7.
In a Spin won a $38,500, 1 1/16 mile Allowance race by 2 1/2 lengths.
McLANE HENDRIKS saddled Hasting Farm's homebred Jean Valjean to win a $28,000, 5 1/2 furlong Allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths at Penn National on July 12.
