Breeders' Cup winner to get new trainer

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Versailles, KY (Sports Network) - Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Pluck will immediately be transferred to the care of trainer Graham Motion. The two- year-old colt was trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Garrett Gomez in the World Championships at Churchill Downs.

Team Valor, owner of Pluck, announced Friday morning that it is transferring all its North America horses to Motion. The stable of horses will be based at the Fair Hill Training Center near Elkton, Maryland.

"I will miss our current trainers," Team Valor's Barry Irwin said. "I have the highest admiration for them and they have done a super job for the stable. But at this stage of our stable's development, we think we can have a more cohesive business and training environment with all of our horses in one place."

An agreement between Motion and Team Valor was finalized before last week's Breeders' Cup. Motion will be Team Valor's lone trainer, but he will also maintain his public stable at Fair Hill.

"It's a good opportunity for us," said Motion. "Team Valor has some very nice horses."

Pluck will join Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf champ Shared Account who is already trained by Motion.

Pluck is under serious consideration for the Irish Two Thousand Guineas next spring. The race is for three-year-olds at one-mile at The Curragh.

"I remember when Fourstars Allstar was trained on the East Coast and was sent over to win the Irish Two Thousand Guineas," said Irwin. "I always had in mind to try to duplicate that feat if we ever came up with a proper candidate. I think Pluck could be that horse. I mentioned this to Graham and he shares my enthusiasm for the project."

This year the 46-year-old Motion has trained 85 winners in 472 starts with earnings of $4,703,946. Shared Account is a four-year-old filly owned by Sagamore Farm and is ridden by Edgar Prado. In 2010 she has won two of five starts for $1.3 million.