The South African-bred mare Gimme a Nother won the first stakes of her American career in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 6 and will not race again until the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at the same venue on Nov. 1.
Trainer Graham Motion said on Thursday that Gimme a Nother should benefit from an eight-week gap between races.
“I will not run her in between,” he said. “She ran really well fresh this time.”
Gimme a Nother, a five-time group stakes winner in South Africa in 2023 and early 2024, has started five times this year for Motion, the only races of her American career. Prior to the win in the Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf, Gimme a Nother was second in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares at Woodbine on July 20.
“She had a good break between races and I think that’s done her well,” Motion said.
Juan Hernandez rode Gimme a Nother in the Mabee. Motion said on Thursday he his hopeful Hernandez will ride Gimme a Nother in the BC Filly and Mare Turf, which at 1 3/8 miles will be the 5-year-old mare’s longest start. Gimme a Nother won stakes at distances ranging from a mile to 1 1/8 miles in South Africa when trained by Michael de Kock.
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“Mike de Kock and I have talked about it and we feel like she’ll get a mile and three-eighths,” Motion said. “She’s handled the track at Del Mar. I don’t anticipate the extra quarter-mile being a problem.”
Owned by Newstead Stables, Gimme a Nother has finished first or second in four of her five starts in the United States. She was last of seven in the Grade 1 New York Stakes at 1 3/16 miles on yielding turf at Saratoga in June.
“If you put a line through her one bad race at Saratoga, which was on atrocious ground, she’s had a good year,” Motion said.
Motion had two runners at Del Mar’s summer meeting and went undefeated. Heredia won the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Aug. 9.
A 6-year-old British-bred mare, Heredia is being prepared for a start in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes, an $800,000 race for fillies and mares at a mile on turf at Keeneland on Oct. 4, Motion said.
There are no immediate race plans for Isivunguvungu, a Group 1 winner in South Africa in 2023 who won his American debut in the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs in 2024. Isivunguvungu was later seventh by two lengths in the BC Turf Sprint at Del Mar last November, and is winless in four starts this year.
Motion said the 7-year-old Isivunguvungu has been turned out and will resume racing in 2026.
“We’ll bring him back in the spring,” Motion said.
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