Lantern Hill Farm LLC’s homebred Motor City, last-to-first winner of Sunday’s Grade III Iroquois, returned to the track early Monday morning for a jog.
“He’s good this morning and the next step most likely is the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII),” trainer Ian Wilkes said referring to the race on Nov. 26.
What made Sunday’s victory all the more sweet for Wilkes was the fact that Motor City’s sire is Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby (GI).
“That was Street Sense’s first graded stakes winner,” said Wilkes, who rode the Street Sense express along with trainer Carl Nafzger, with whom he shares Barn 26.
The victory was the second in the Iroquois for Wilkes, who won the race in 2008 with Capt. Candyman Can.
“It is hard to compare horses, but this horse can rate and Capt.
Candyman Can couldn’t,” Wilkes said. “This bodes well for two turns.”
Trainer Al Stall Jr., who owns Iroquois runner-up Seven Lively Sins in partnership with Stewart Madison and Justin Querbes III, said the colt would head to Louisiana for the $1 million Delta Jackpot (GIII) to be run Nov. 19 at Delta Downs.
“Hopefully, this will get him in with the graded stakes earnings (of
$21,967 from the Iroquois),” Stall said. “That’s a hard race to get in
to as there are only nine spots available.”