Motion will keep Correto in Miss Grillo, pass on Jessamine

Calumet Farms’ Kentucky homebred Correto will make her stakes debut in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Graham Motion, the English Channel chestnut also was entered in Friday’s Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland but is confirmed to race at Aqueduct in Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for 2-year-old fillies. The race offers a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar. The Miss Grillo originally was scheduled for last Sunday but was canceled and re-drawn because of significant rainfall.

Motion lamented his filly losing her original post 4 when the race was re-drawn with Correto now slated to exit post 11 under Jorge Ruiz. But the post is one better than the 12-hole draw they were assigned in the Jessamine.

“It is what it is, but she’s doing well,” Motion said. “I struggled with sending her to Kentucky because we’d already shipped her up to New York and not run, so we’ll just keep her there.”

Correto, a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Spooky Channel, is out of the multiple stakes-placed Kitten’s Joy mare Spooky Kitten. She made a professional winning debut on Sept. 1 over the undulating turf at Kentucky Downs, tracking from fourth position in a seven-furlong maiden special weight before edging clear to a 1 3/4-length score. The winning effort over a robust field of 11 rivals registered a 72 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

“The English Channels tend to be a little headstrong, but she’s a nice type of filly,” Motion said. “We obviously liked her to send her to Kentucky Downs because those maidens are very competitive. She was very professional, considering what they deal with there.”

Correto has worked back twice over the Fair Hill synthetic, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:02 flat Sept. 30.

“I’ve been very pleased with how she worked since she ran,” Motion added. “I’ve only worked her on her own because she does quite a bit. With a 2-year-old, I normally don’t do that. They have to be quite professional to work on their own, and she’s done things nicely.”

Motion said a good result Sunday likely would propel Correto to the Breeders’ Cup.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but that’s why we’re in there,” Motion said. “I would imagine (more distance) would be what she wants.”

Motion will debut Jenn in Sunday’s race 5 at Aqueduct, a 1 1/16-mile outer turf route for juvenile fillies. By Justify and out of the Galileo mare Prose, Jenn’s stakes-winning third dam Cappucino Bay produced multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Medaglia d’Oro.

“She’s a nice type of filly,” Motion said. “She didn’t seem like one to sprint first time out.”

Jenn has worked extensively over both dirt and synthetic at Fair Hill, including a half-mile gate breeze in 49 seconds flat over the dirt on Sept. 19.

“She’s done things nicely enough,” Motion said. “The only reason I’d question her is she’s quite a big filly and she’s a little bit slow from the gate – being in the one hole, that’s a little bit of a concern. I don’t necessarily crank my horses up to run their best race first time out, but she’s done plenty to get started. She’s more than fit.”

Motion will send out stakes-placed Thegirlfromireland in Friday’s race 2 at Aqueduct, a 1 3/16-mile allowance optional-claimer over the outer turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

The 4-year-old Goldencents bay won a restricted nine-furlong turf route in June at Laurel Park and returned on Sept. 2 in a nine-furlong optional-claimer to run second to graded stakes-winner Prerequisite.

“She’s a filly that appreciates a distance and that’s why I’m bringing her to New York,” Motion said. “She needs further, and you don’t get to do that much around here even through she’s a Maryland-bred. She’s a nice filly, very classy.”

Trikari captured the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) at Aquduct in July and followed with a stylish win over next-out stakes winner Brilliant Berti in the Secretariat (G2) at Colonial Downs.

The sophomore son of Oscar Performance finished a close fourth when facing elders for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita Park, landing 1 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Johannes, while narrowly missing place honors to runner-up Almendares and third-place Conclude.

“He got back here Tuesday and was under tack today and looks really well,” Motion said. “He’d done plenty this year and he really wasn’t beaten far the other day. He ran a credible race – beaten a nose and a neck against pretty good older horses, and the winner will probably be one of the favorites at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Motion said Trikari, who posted a 47-1 upset in the American Turf (G2) in May at Churchill, could now point to the Bryan Station (G3), a one-mile turf test for sophomores on Oct. 26 at Keeneland.

“We’ll probably take him to Keeneland and run in the 3-year-old race at the end of the meet, and that will be it for the year,” Motion said.