Motion remains well-grounded during Triple Crown
June 8, 2011NEW YORK (AP) - The priorities for Graham Motion haven't changed - family first, everything else follows. And that includes Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.
He's won big races before in 18 years as a trainer, including a couple of Breeders' Cup races with Better Talk Now and Shared Account and a Whitney Handicap with Bullsbay.
Never, though, has the good-natured 47-year-old Motion been through a Triple Crown grind like the one that will end with Saturday's Belmont Stakes, when he sends out his Derby winner against Preakness winner Shackleford and 10 other 3-year-olds.
Despite his unforgettable journey through Kentucky, Maryland and New York, Motion refuses to let the hectic pace get to him. Even family and friends say so.