Coup, Colonial Flag arrive at Churchill; Right to Vote
looking to move forward
Augustin Stable’s homebred Coup arrived at Churchill Downs on Thursday from
trainer Graham Motion’s base at Fair Hill Training Center to seek her second
stakes win in Saturday’s 43rd running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Regret.
A bay daughter of Empire Maker, Coup will make her third start of the year in
the Regret, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course. Coup
broke her maiden in the slop at Gulfstream Park in a maiden special weight event
originally carded for the turf and returned to take the 1 1/16-mile Hilltop
Stakes on the grass at Pimlico by one length. She was ridden by John Velazquez
for the first time in the Hilltop and he will be aboard Motion’s filly in the
Regret.
“She arrived at Churchill in good order Thursday morning and she’s doing
really well,” Motion said via phone from his barn at Fair Hill. “She worked
really well in her one work since the race at Pimlico (six furlongs in 1:13 4/5
on the Tapeta at Fair Hill).”
Coup has just one off-the-board finish on her record, even though she has
never crossed the line worse than second. She was disqualified from second and
placed 10th in her career debut for causing interference in the stretch.
“She’s always acted like a nice filly,” Motion said. “The one strike against
her is the race at Keeneland when she caused interference. We put blinkers on
her after that race and it has helped her.”
Coup is the lone stakes winner in the field of 11 entered for the Regret, but
Motion recognizes she must face a very good group of improving three-year-old
fillies in that test.
“I hope she’s able to move forward,” Motion remarked. “She will need to.
There’s some tough competition.”
Motion said that there are no plans beyond the Regret for Coup at this time.
“How she does Saturday will guide where we go from here,” Motion explained.
“There are a lot of options.”
Motion added that he will not be in Louisville for the Regret and assistant
Heather Craig will saddle the horse for the race.
Also on the van from Fair Hill on Thursday was Skara Glen Stable’s Colonial
Flag, who is seeking her third-straight win in the Regret. The dark bay daughter
of Pleasant Tap, who will break from post 3 under Julien Leparoux, owns just one
loss, coming in a one-mile maiden special on the turf at Gulfstream Park. The
Michael Matz trainee encountered traffic problems that day and had to check in
the stretch.
While Coup’s plans following the Regret are up in the air, John Oxley’s Funny
Proposition could use the race as a prep for the Grade 1 Alabama going 1 1/4
miles on Saratoga’s main track August 18, according to assistant trainer Norman
Casse. The Medaglia d’Oro filly will be making her turf debut in the Regret.
“She was sick and we had to scratch her from the Optimistic Gal,” he
explained. “We treated her and she’s worked well two times since then, so she’s
over everything. The turf is a bit of a question mark for her, but we needed a
place to run her to get her ready for some of the bigger dirt races this summer
at Saratoga.”
Funny Proposition has won two of her three career starts and will break from
post 11 under Miguel Mena.
One race earlier in the 15th running of the Grade 3 Matt Winn, trainer Eoin
Harty is hopeful Matt Casner Racing LP and Sam Pollock’s Right to Vote will
continue to move forward. The Political Force gelding ran second as the longest
shot on the board in the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park last out while
returning to the site of his third in last year’s Grade 1 Champagne.
Right to Vote began his sophomore season with a victory in a 6 1/2-furlong
allowance race at Gulfstream Park in March and then stretched out to 1 1/8 miles
in the Peter Pan. At odds of nearly 48-1, Right to Vote set the pace and had the
lead in the stretch before being caught late by Mark Valeski.
“He was able to get the lead on his own and he set fast fractions, but he’s a
fast horse,” Harty said. “I think that’s his best style of running.”
The Peter Pan was the second time Right to Vote hit the board in graded
company at long odds. His third in the Champagne came at 26-1 odds in his final
start as a juvenile behind recent Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags.
“We’ve definitely thought highly of him since day one,” Harty added. “He’s
always shown a lot of ability.”
Right to Vote, who is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Matt Winn, will
break from post 3 under Javier Castellano. Harty is expecting another top
effort.
“He’s coming into the race really well,” Harty said. “He’s bright, happy and
fit and we expect him to run accordingly.”
Harty was in Los Angeles on Friday morning, but said he is trying to make
arrangements to be in Louisville on Saturday night to saddle Right to Vote for
the Matt Winn.
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