The Niarchos family’s homebred Main Sequence preserved his perfect mark on
the American turf by completing a Grade 1 hat trick in Saturday’s $600,000
Joe
Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at
Belmont Park. As has
become customary, the Graham Motion charge was slowly away and cut it awfully
close late, just edging familiar foe Twilight Eclipse by a neck.
A new wrinkle this time, however, was a stewards’ inquiry and an objection
lodged by Twilight Eclipse’s rider, Jose Lezcano, alleging interference when the
two collided approaching the wire. But the stewards let the result stand, and
Main Sequence extended his U.S. record to three-for-three, all in Grade 1s,
confirming his status as the leading American-based contender for the
Breeders’ Cup Turf.
While the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic was a “Win & You’re In” for the Turf, Main
Sequence had already secured his spot in the Breeders’ Cup starting gate with
his late-running victory in the July 6 United Nations at Monmouth. He uncorked a
furious rally to collar Twilight Eclipse that day, and again got up in time over
Imagining and Twilight Eclipse in the August 17 Sword Dancer Invitational at
Saratoga. Both rivals tried to turn the tables at Belmont.
Imagining glided into his comfort zone as the pacesetter, and Real Solution
attended him through easy fractions of :26 2/5, :50 4/5, 1:15 2/5 and 1:39 1/5
on the firm Widener turf. Sophomore Medal Count tracked wider out, while
Twilight Eclipse was tucked in a perfect ground-saving spot behind the leader.
Main Sequence recovered from his lackadaisical break to sit in fifth with Rajiv
Maragh, trailed by Big Blue Kitten, who formed the 9-5 favored entry with Real
Solution, and Hangover Kid.
Rounding the far turn, Imagining kept ratcheting up the tempo to reach the 1
1/4-mile split in 2:02 4/5, and clung on tenaciously as the field reached
midstretch. Real Solution’s stamina began to ebb by that point, and he could not
maintain his position. At the same time, Main Sequence was rolling into
contention on the outside, and Twilight Eclipse was threading his way between
foes to offer his challenge.
Main Sequence had the superior kick and struck the front, but the ever-game
Twilight Eclipse wouldn’t concede the issue. Coming again bravely on the inside,
the 7-1 chance briefly threatened to upend Main Sequence. The tail-flashing Main
Sequence wouldn’t allow it, and the two duelists collided with a hefty bump in
the shadow of the post. After negotiating 1 1/2 miles in 2:26 1/5, Main Sequence
returned $5.90 as the slight 9-5 second choice.
“What a cool horse,” Motion said. “Ironically, I thought he ran his most
professional race today and then you had the bump right before the wire.
“The only thing I’ve ever told Rajiv is just not to worry about him. Even if
he doesn’t break well, don’t worry about it. I was actually a little surprised
how close he was once he got away from there today. He was much more in the race
than he has been.”
“He’s consistently good,” Maragh said. “He’s three-for-three in the United
States and has done everything right. When he made the lead, it was a little
sooner than we wanted. He started loafing a little bit; I tried to make him see
the other horse and a little contact happened. I felt like I was going to be OK
on the inquiry, but it was nerve-wracking.”
“I was kind of sick, to be honest,” Motion said of his feelings during the
inquiry. “I thought it would have been a little bit cruel to take it away, but
he definitely bumped the other horse. I feel bad for West Point (owner of
Twilight Eclipse). I train for them and that horse has run three big races and
he’s come out on the wrong end of them.”
“My horse (Twilight Eclipse) almost went by,” Lezcano said, “but (Main
Sequence) hit me so hard my horse lost his balance. I had to stop riding.”
“He ran well, ran well,” the runner-up’s trainer Tom Albertrani said.
“Hopefully we’ll get him in California (at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita),
right?”
Imagining held third, another length astern. Big Blue Kitten closed belatedly
for fourth, and Hangover Kid, Real Solution, and the tailed-off Medal Count.
“I’m disappointed,” trainer Chad Brown said of his entry of Big Blue Kitten
and Real Solution. “They went off the favorites; it’s very disappointing. We’ll
just regroup with both of them. Real Solution just didn’t have it today going a
mile and a half. Big Blue Kitten ran well. The pace really hurt us. I thought
the top two horses ran terrific. Our horse, we could have used a little more
pace. It would have helped our chances.”
Main Sequence’s scorecard now stands at 17-7-3-3, $1,648,311. The chestnut
gelding was originally trained in England by David Lanigan. He won his first
four career starts, capped by the Lingfield Derby Trial that had been
transferred to Polytrack. Best of the rest behind Camelot in the 2012 Derby at
Epsom, Main Sequence suffered a nightmare-trip fourth in the Grand Prix de
Paris, or else he might well have won a Group 1 laurel in Europe. He ended his
2012 season with a close second in the Great Voltigeur and a fifth in the St
Leger.
Making his 2013 premiere in the Buckhounds at Ascot, Main Sequence faded to a
distant third. He performed much better next time in the Brigadier Gerard at
Sandown, where he went down by only a half-length to Mukhadram, winner of this
season’s Eclipse. Main Sequence’s losing skid continued in his four remaining
English appearances, checking in fourth in the Pontefract Castle and third in a
pair of Group 3s, the September over Kempton’s Polytrack and the Arc Trial at
Newbury, before never factoring when eighth in the Champion Stakes.
Main Sequence was subsequently shipped to Motion, only to become sick upon
his arrival in the United States. He returned from an eight-month layoff to earn
his top-level breakthrough in the United Nations, and hasn’t missed a beat
since.
The Kentucky-bred Main Sequence is a product of the Niarchos family’s Flaxman
Holdings, top and bottom. He is by the Niarchos’ champion sprinter Aldebaran
(who is himself a son of Mr. Prospector and the Niarchos’ multiple Group
1-winning mare Chimes of Freedom). Main Sequence’s dam, the Group 3-placed
Pivotal mare Ikat, likewise descends from a maternal line cultivated by the
Niarchos family. Ikat is a half-sister to current Group 2 hero Smoking Sun as
well as to Group 2-placed stakes scorer Zhiyi.
Main Sequence’s second dam is Group 2-placed stakes victress Burning Sunset,
herself a half-sister to 2007 Epsom Oaks winner Light Shift; English highweight
mare Shiva; multiple Group 2 hero Limnos; Grade 1-placed Hyades; and Molasses,
the dam of Group 3 scorer Magadan.
Main Sequence’s fourth dam is French champion and classic winner Northern
Trick, who was brought into the Niarchos fold when purchased for $530,000 as a
Keeneland July yearling in 1982. Her influence has extended to Brazil, with such
descendants as two-time champion Jeune-Turc and Group 1 victor Nonno Luigi.
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