The story of Trikari, the latest turf standout for Amerman Racing and trainer Graham Motion, blends belief, patience and bold decisions as the $27,500 sales purchase turned into a Grade 1 winner and one of the top 3-year-old turf horses in the country this year with eyes on a potential start in the Breeders' Cup.
A win in the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes-G2 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., Aug. 11 made it all more of a reality.
Trikari's tale began with a stroke of luck and a keen eye. Bloodstock agents Bob and Sean Feld worked the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October yearling sale in 2022. The strategy takes teamwork. Father and son split horses into groups, each taking a portion to evaluate, and after swapping thoughts and refining selections, they create a final shortlist of horses to look at more closely.
An Oscar Performance colt out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Dynamic Holiday made the shortlist. Bred in Kentucky by Michael Slezak and Amy Boll, the bay cost Angel Ordonez $9,000 as a short yearling in January and looked like a prospect worth pursuing nine months later.
"I can't remember if I looked at the horse first or my son did, but when I saw him, I loved him," Bob Feld said. "I loved everything about him."
Despite their affection for the colt, the Felds weren't actively looking to buy a yearling at the sale and didn't have a specific client. When Trikari didn't sell -- at a final bid of $30,000 -- Feld was surprised.
"I looked at the results as the sale was going on, and I saw he was bought back for $30,000. I'm like, 'Oh my God, that horse is a much better horse than $30,000,' " Feld said. He returned to the Ordonez Thoroughbreds consignment to investigate why the horse didn't sell and saw some concerning notes on the veterinarian report.
Feld wasn't as discouraged as others.
"There were some things on there that probably discouraged some people," he said. He also figured Trikari's issues could be managed with patience. He called Amerman Racing, which campaigned Oscar Performance to victories in four Grade 1 races, including the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and 2017 Secretariat (when run at Arlington Park), and pitched the idea of buying the colt for less than his initial reserve.
"Listen, this horse is a really nice physical," Feld said. "I'll vet the horse out, and if everything checks out, I'll offer $25,000. Would you be willing to buy him?"
Longtime owners of such standouts as Lido Palace (Chi), Adoration, Coffee Clique and Siphonic in addition to Oscar Performance, Jerry and John Amerman embraced Feld's opinion. Feld offered $25,000. Ordonez held firm at $30,000. They eventually settled on $27,500, which Feld laughs about.
"It's a very odd price for a horse to sell," he said, "but that's how it happened."
Motion trained Trikari's dam Dynamic Holiday and her half-sister Varenka to graded turf stakes victories for Pennsylvania owner/breeder George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stable, so became the logical choice to train Trikari.
"They had just asked me to take some horses and the Amerman name is one of those names you want to train for," Motion said. "They were like, 'You trained the mare, you should get to train this one.' "
In another connection, Motion won multiple Grade 1 turf stakes with Miss Temple City, bred and co-owned by Bob Feld. Trikari caught Motion's attention early, though the trainer preached patience. Not an early 2-year-old, the colt went to Keeneland to make his debut in October -- a move Motion doesn't make unless horses show potential.
The first start, going 11⁄16 miles on the turf Oct. 28, didn't exactly go as planned as Trikari wound up last of 12 for jockey John Velazquez.
"He just ran so greenly that day, and obviously we were pretty disappointed," said Motion, based at Maryland's Fair Hill Training Center. The loss didn't discourage the trainer. Trikari showed flashes in morning workouts, and looked like an athlete. Patience seemed like the right approach.
"We got back to Florida and kind of regrouped, and he's sort of taken off from there." Motion said. "I certainly liked him a lot."
Two months after the debut defeat, he won a maiden race on Gulfstream Park's Tapeta surface at 27-1. Back on the turf for his 3-year-old debut in a first-level allowance, he was beaten a neck going 71⁄2 furlongs at Gulfstream in February. Trikari became a stakes winner in the $250,000 Rushaway on Turfway Park's Tapeta track March 23, pulled a 47-1 upset in the $600,000 American Turf-G2 at Churchill Downs on Derby Day May 4 over 13 others, and finished third in Penn National's Penn Mile-G3 May 31.
Trikari started his summer campaign in Aqueduct's Belmont Derby Invitational-G1 going 13⁄16 miles July 6, defeating White Palomino by a head with Godolphin's globe-trotting favorite Legend of Time (GB) third.
A few days after that win, Motion was going over options at his Fair Hill base and stopped at Trikari's stall.
"He's dead honest and he is gorgeous," Motion said. "It's fun to see a horse like this develop. If you went around and looked at all my horses, you'd pick him out. You wouldn't have to know who he is. His stride is extraordinary. He's not tough [to handle], but he's very on it all the time. He takes his races so well it's kind of hard to back off him."
Trikari gallops home in front in the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes at Colonial Downs in August
Motion bypassed the Saratoga Derby-G1 -- originally carded for Aug. 3 but ultimately run on the same day as the Secretariat due to weather -- in favor of more time between races. Once a Grade 1 fixture on the Arlington Million undercard at Chicago's Arlington Park, the Secretariat was run mainly at 1¼ miles in its first iteration and counts among its past winners champion Mac Diarmida, Maryland-bred star Awad, champion Kitten's Joy and Breeders' Cup Turf-G1 winner Highland Reel (Ire). Moved to Colonial last year after the sale of Arlington by Churchill Downs Inc., and downgraded to a Grade 2, the now 1-mile stakes attracted six runners while facing competition from several other graded turf stakes for sophomores.
Fans made American Derby winner Brilliant Berti a slight favorite over Trikari. They rated off early leaders General Ledger and Mattingly through splits of :24.24 and :48.26. Velazquez revved up Trikari on the turn and he roared to the front in mid-stretch, opening 3 quick lengths on the field and seeing out a 2¼-length win over Brilliant Berti. In a Jam finished third after 1:34.92. Each quarter-mile was run faster than the one before it with the final split in :22.94.
Trikari won for the fifth time in eight starts and pushed his career earnings to $1,303,530 with the $306,900 Secretariat payday -- seven years after his sire won the race.
Motion's strategy had always been to take things step by step, ensuring Trikari was never pushed too hard, too soon. After the Secretariat win, he began to consider bigger targets, including the possibility of entering Trikari in the Breeders' Cup Mile-G1 at Del Mar Nov. 2.
"I think it's the right time to think about running him against older horses," Motion said. "This horse really hasn't done anything wrong, and he just seems to keep improving. After he won the Secretariat, I certainly started thinking about the Mile and how best to get him there."
Like Motion, Feld has preached cautious optimism.
"He's earned $1.3 million, and Marcus Hersh in the Daily Racing Form wrote an article saying he might be the best 3-year-old turf horse in the country," Feld said. "And we feel that he probably is.
"The horse is going to have to take us there. We're not going to go to the Breeders' Cup just to get a free hat and a free lunch. He's going to have to earn his way."
Million Day
Rain from Tropical Storm Debby pushed the Arlington Million card back a day, and a simulcast feed issue delayed the races almost an hour, but Colonial Downs managed to shine and showcased some of the country's best on a day worth in excess of $2,850,000.
Godolphin's Nations Pride (Ire) won the Million itself, living up to his even-money favoritism to score by 13⁄4 lengths for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick. The winner came in off a second to stablemate Measured Time (GB) in the Manhattan-G1 in June at Saratoga, and collected his 10th lifetime victory and fourth in
Grade/Group 1 company. The others came at Saratoga in 2022 and in Canada and Germany last year.
Moira and Fev Rover (Ire) put on a show in the $500,000 Beverly D.-G2 as the former prevailed by a head after 13⁄16 miles. Trained by Kevin Attard for Lanni Bloodstock, SF Racing and Madaket Stable, the Canadian-bred daughter of Ghostzapper won the Queen's Plate in 2022 and finished third in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf-G1.
Trainer Mike Stidham added to a strong Colonial meet with a victory by Dream Shake in the $150,000 Van Clief Stakes at 5½ furlongs on the turf. Owned by Exline-Border Racing, Peter Eurton, Richard Hausman and Stonestreet Stables, the 6-year-old Twirling Candy gelding ousted Pennsylvania-bred Witty by three-quarters of a length (with Virginia-bred Determined Kingdom third) while winning for the fifth time.
Pennsylvania-bred Carmelina won the $100,000 Penny Chenery Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, her fourth stakes win for Cash Is King, LC Racing and trainer Butch Reid. Lilith Boucher bred the daughter of Maximus Mischief and won six races as a trainer with her Virginia-bred dam Complete St., who was bred by Mignon C. Smith's Mede Cahaba Stable and Stud.
Alrington Million Day at Colonial Downs included (clockwise from top left): Nations Pride sprints for the wire in the Grade 1 Arlington Million; Moira prevails by a head in the Grade 2 Beverly D.; Dream Shake (black blinkers) captures the Van Clief Stakes; Pennsylvania-bred Carmelina (right) gets her fourth stakes win in the Penny Chenery.
One race earlier, another from the first crop of Maximus Mischief came home on top as Regalo nosed out Awesome Ruta in the $100,000 Petramalo Mile for 3-year-olds on the main track. The Brittany Russell trainee owned by Goodfella's recorded his first stakes win and completed a mile in 1:33.71. The track record is 1:33.70.
Distaffers competed at 51⁄2 furlongs on the turf in the $150,000 Andy Guest Stakes, with favorite Beauty of the Sea holding clear of Maryland-bred Hollywood Walk by 11⁄2 lengths. It was the second stakes win in a row for the chestnut Bucchero filly owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable and trained by Joe Orseno, after Monmouth's Goldwood in June.
NOTES: Mike Trombetta (15 wins) edged Stidham (13) for the training title, with Russell (10) checking in third. Godolphin won seven races to edge Larry Johnson by one for the owners' crown. Ben Curtis won a tight jockeys' race 24-23 over Mychel Sanchez with Antonio Gallardo (21) third . . . Fourteen horses won two races at the meet.
