Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Brown works Nyquist winner Highly Motivated for Gotham
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Withers Stakes winner Risk Taking over the weekend began working toward a start in the Wood Memorial on April 3 at Aqueduct, his Chad Browntrained stablemate Highly Motivated continued his preparation for a start in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham here on March 6.
Highly Motivated, wintering at the Payson Park training center in Florida, worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 in company with Excellent Timing on Saturday. Excellent Timing, transferred to Brown following a private sale in December, is being pointed to the Damon Runyon Stakes on March 14 at Aqueduct.
For Highly Motivated, it was his sixth work since resuming training following a 4 1/4-length victory in the Nyquist Stakes on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.
“He looks good,” Brown said Monday from South Florida. “We gave him a little bit of time off just because he had been in training all year, he was one of the earlier babies to come in. We started back, he was a little rusty, a little stiff, but he’s come out of it now. He’s really, really moving well.”
Highly Motivated, a son of Into Mischief, was beaten a neck by Founder in his debut last summer at Saratoga. He followed with a maiden win on Sept. 27 at Belmont and the Nyquist. Both of his victories were at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Brown said the one turn of the Gotham makes sense for Highly Motivated’s first start in four months.
“Let’s start there and see what happens,” he said.
Javier Castellano, who has ridden Highly Motivated in all three of his starts, will come up from South Florida to ride. Castellano, who only last Wednesday resumed riding after undergoing surgery near his hip last November, will have to test negative for COVID19 on both March 2 and Gotham Day in order to ride. Castellano tested positive for COVID-19 last March.
There were 36 nominations to the Gotham, a race whose winner earns 50 points to the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
In addition to Highly Motivated, the likely starters include Capo Kane, Freedom Fighter, and One Fast Cat. Those under consideration include Awesome Gerry, Helium, The Reds, and Wipe the Slate.
On Sunday, Risk Taking, who is not Gotham-nominated, worked a half-mile in 50.06 seconds over the Belmont training track. It was his first move since winning the Withers on Feb. 3. He should have time for five more works before the Wood.
Brown said he is likely to run two 3-year-old fillies in the Busher Invitational on the Gotham undercard. The Grass Is Blue, who won the Busanda at 1 1/8 miles, will cut back to a one-turn mile, while Search Results, a debut winner at six furlongs on Jan. 3 at Gulfstream Park, will stretch out in the Busher.
Tatweej to Godolphin Mile
Tatweej, who earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure when winning a third-level allowance race on Feb. 4 at Aqueduct, is being pointed to the Godolphin Mile on March 27 at Meydan, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Pletcher said Tatweej returned to South Florida following his allowance victory and will leave for Dubai on March 16.
“He seems to be doing fine, shipped back in good shape. It looks like the plane is on the 16th to Dubai, so we’ll work his schedule around that,” Pletcher said.
Tatweej is a son of Grade 1 winners Tapit and Tiz Miz Sue who has won 4 of 6 starts. Tatweej is owned by Saudi Arabia-based Alshareef Hazzaa Shaker Alabdali. Pletcher said it is likely Tatweej will stay in Saudi Arabia following the Godolphin Mile.
Pletcher said Overtook, runner-up in the Withers on Feb. 4, also returned to South Florida to train. Pletcher said while he is likely to train the horse up to the Wood Memorial on April 3, having him in Florida gives him the option to consider other races.
Pletcher, who has five nominated to the Gotham, is unlikely to run anything in that race.
Franco will ride Mr. Buff
With Kendrick Carmouche heading to Gulfstream Park to ride Fire At Will in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes, Manny Franco will ride Mr. Buff in the $125,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer John Kimmel said Monday.
Carmouche had ridden Mr. Buff in his last two starts – subbing for regular rider Junior Alvarado, who is wintering in Florida – including a seven-length victory in the Jazil Stakes on Jan. 23.
Franco has ridden Mr. Buff just once, that being a fourthplace finish in an allowance race at Belmont in September 2018.
Kimmel said though Mr. Buff is viewed as strictly a frontrunner, he is trying to instill into his riders that is not the case.
“You ask him coming out of there, but you don’t have to continue hustling him for a quarter-mile,” Kimmel said.
Mr. Buff is expected to top a small field for the Stymie. Trainer Rob Atras is expected to run either American Power or Musical Heart. Tintoretto, Limonite, and Sunny Ridge are possible.