Motion Sends ‘Powerful Storm’ to Jim McKay Turf Sprint

Thebabeslayer Seeking Stakes Success in James W. Murphy

LAUREL, MD – On the biggest weekend of the Maryland racing calendar, the local horseman want to strut on center stage. They will have plenty of chances.

Take Saturday’s competitive $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint, for example. Eleven horses are entered in the 5 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up. Six of them are trained by Maryland horsemen or horsewomen.

You bet it means a lot to them to get to the winner’s circle on Maryland’s biggest day.

“It has always been a weekend we have pointed to since my early days,” said trainer Graham Motion, who will saddle Isivunguvungu in the McKay. “We have had some good weekends on Preakness weekend. It never gets old.”

Maryland trainer Elizabeth Merryman won this race a year ago with Witty. She returns for the repeat try, this time with a 7-year-old named Jean Valjean.

“It definitely makes it a lot more fun,” said Merryman, who, like Motion, operates out of the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., located an hour and a half northeast of Laurel Park. “It also adds to the experience and adds pressure.”

Of the 11 entered in the McKay, there is only one 3-year-old. Seven entrants are 6 or older. Five of them have odds between 3-1 and 6-1.

Pennsylvania-bred Jean Valjean, named for the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, is one of them. Bred and owned by Hasting Farm, he has won four of seven career starts on the grass and is two-for-four at the distance.

Jean Valjean has started twice this year, the most recent being an allowance win at the distance May 1 at Laurel. In the race prior, he was seventh in Laurel’s King Leatherbury April 18, his first start since November 2024 after missing time because of a bruised hind ankle.

“He is a lovely horse, a lovely mover,” Merryman said. “He has grown up a lot and done really well, training-wise. He has acted like he is happy to be back and doing it again.”

Jean Valjean, who will be ridden by Flavien Prat in the McKay, has won two of his three career starts at Laurel. He appears to be at his best when on the lead although Merryman said Jean Valjean can also stalk.

Isivunguvungu, which means ‘powerful storm’ in Zulu, is owned by the prominent South African group Hollywood Racing. He will be making his first start since last August after Motion gave the 8-year-old time off following a sixth-place finish in the Van Clief, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint at Colonial.

Before that, the South African-bred had another sixth-place showing in the Wolf Hill at Monmouth, another 5 ½-furlong turf dash.

Motion has taken the gelding to the 2024 Breeders’ Cup where he ran seventh, beaten two lengths, in the Turf Sprint (G1) as well as Dubai for the Al Quoz Sprint (G1), where he ran 10th.

“We took a shot in Dubai, something the guys wanted to do,” Motion said. “Since I got him, he never really had a break.”

Motion said the time off has served Isivunguvungu well. He hopes he will outrun his 10-1 odds.

“He has always been a straightforward horse,” Motion said. “He is a very quick horse, a very fast horse. He has had three good works on the Fair Hill turf course and that is an uphill half a mile. He should be fit.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride.

Determined Kingdom, from another Marylander, trainer Michael Trombetta, is 6-1 on the morning line and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz. He made his first start since October and was a disappointing seventh in the King Leatherbury, a 5 ½-furlong turf race.

The Leatherbury was won by the George Weaver-trained Outlaw Kid, who nipped the Rob Atras-trained Chasing Liberty. Chasing Liberty is the 3-1 morning-line choice in the McKay and Chasing Liberty is 5-1.

“He’s a good old horse,” Trombetta said of Determined Kingdom, a 7-year-old who has 10 wins in 20 tries at the McKay distance. “I think he’ll benefit from getting a race under him and I hope he gets a better performance this time.”

Also running in the McKay are Run Curtis Run, who has hit the board in 10 of 11 tries at the distance with one win for trainer Mike Maker; Had to Have Him, sixth in the Leatherbury, which was his first start since October; Parx shipper Fore Harp, seventh in this race last year when it was run at Pimlico Race Course; Card Trick, a 5-year-old making his first start since November; Incinerator, 11th in the Leatherbury; and Tidewater, who has hit the board in nine of 14 Laurel starts.

Thebabeslayer Seeking Stakes Success in James W. Murphy

Co-owner Ken Reimer has what he thinks is a decent horse in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy, a one-mile run on the turf for 3-year-olds. He knows the name of his colt is a good one.

It’s Thebabeslayer, who he owns with Bradley Kent. The horse is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

“My daughter named that horse,” Reimer said. “I will tell you that every announcer and everyone that looks at those races, it is one of the coolest names for a horse. We didn’t even know if we would get it through the Jockey Club, but it did, so we’re happy.”

Thebabeslayer, who is 6-1 on the morning line, has two wins in four starts this year. In his last, he was seventh in the Bathhouse Row, an automatic qualifier for the Preakness Stakes (G1), which was won by Crupper.

This will be Thebabeslayer’s first try on grass since Jan. 4 when he broke his maiden going 7 1/2 furlongs. In six races on turf, he also has two seconds and three thirds.

“He is progressing very nicely,” Reimer said. “He is versatile. We’re very excited about him.”

Jose Ortiz has been named to ride Thebabeslayer.

Graham Motion has the top two choices on the morning line in Proton (9-5) and Turf Star (5-2). Proton, who will be ridden by John Velazquez, has two wins and two seconds in six tries on grass. In his last start, he was seventh, beaten four lengths in the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland at 1 1/16 miles April 3.

Turf Star ran sixth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and has had two starts this year, the latest being a ninth in the Jeff Ruby (G3) on the synthetic at Turfway Park. That was his only non-grass start.

Also entered are Attfield, who is 9-2 on the morning line. The Tom Morley-trained son of Vekoma is adding blinkers for the first time and was ninth in the Transylvania in his last start. He has two wins in four starts on grass.

Jonathan Thomas will start the lightly raced Zihnal, who was fourth in his one-mile debut on dirt at Santa Anita. My Favorite Bird from trainer Kent Sweezey has started his last four races on grass and has a win, two seconds and a third. He was second in the English Channel at Gulfstream May 2 the last time out.

Jessica’s Eyes, from Laurel-based trainer John Robb, will look to upset this field as he stretches out to a mile for the first time. He has won two of three starts on grass, both at 5 ½ furlongs. Another looking to outrun his odds is J Cody, who ships in from Parx. He will be trying the grass for the first time after four sprints on the dirt.