Trainer Graham Motion said Sunday morning that Whitney H. (G1) winner
BULLSBAY (Tiznow) may be pointed next to the $500,000 Woodward S. (G1) at 1 1/8
miles on September 5 at Saratoga.
Bullsbay, the longest shot on the board Saturday at nearly 19-1, upset Macho
Again (Macho Uno) and Commentator (Distorted Humor) to take the $750,000 Whitney
by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Jeremy Rose. In the process, the five-year-old bay
gave his trainer the first Grade 1 dirt win of his career.
“Apart from the Breeders’ Cup, it was the biggest win of my career,” said
Motion, who sent out Better Talk Now (Talkin Man) to win the 2004 Breeders’ Cup
Turf (G1). “You don’t expect to win those races. You don’t expect to win the
Whitney.”
Motion said Bullsbay came out of the Whitney in fine shape, but a run in the
Woodward is not a lock.
“If Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) shows up, I’d probably stay away,”
Motion said. “I don’t want to run against her.”
Motion plans to send Bullsbay back to his base at the Fair Hill Training
Center in Maryland.
“I’m a little torn about it,” he said. “At home he can be turned out in the
paddock, and we’re not ruled by the weather (with Fair Hill’s Tapeta training
track).”
With his victory in the Whitney, Bullsbay earned an automatic starting berth
into the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). He finished 10th in the
Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) on the Cushion Track in his race prior to the Whitney,
yet Motion did not discount the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Santa
Anita’s Pro-Ride as a long-term objective. Bullsbay broke his maiden by four lengths at
Santa Anita in 2008 when trained by Eric Kruljac.
“He ran at Santa Anita and ran well,” Motion said. “He runs on synthetic
every day training at Fair Hill.”