BALTIMORE, Md.--Keri Brion has had three winners in the past three weeks, but perhaps her biggest victory was a second place in a graded stakes.
Fun Lovin Criminal winning at Pimlico (Photo by James McCue)In the same period, Graham Motion had four winners, including a stakes win, and Bernie Houghton also had four winners.
While Motion is an established top trainer with many graded stakes wins, including in the Breeders Cup, in his resume, Brion is just setting out on her career.
"Ten years ago I was saddling my first graded stakes horse as an assistant for Jonathan Sheppard," said Brion on May 15. "It was the Dixie Stakes, now known as the Dinner Party, and Utley shocked the world that day at 20/1 winning the race. Saturday I will saddle my first graded stakes horse in the Dinner Party as a trainer and will try to light up the tote board with Crabs N Beer."
JUST A FEW days later, although Charles Blanford's Crabs N Beer didn't win, he did light up the tote board at Pimlico on the undercard of the Preakness Stakes, paying $12.50 to place as he ran second as a long shot in the G3, $500,000, 1 1/8 mile Dinner Party Stakes.
"Biggest flat race of my career today saddling Crabs in the Dinner Party on Preakness Day ,and he gave us a massive thrill stepping up and finishing a close second," said Brion "I absolutely love this horse, he tries so hard for us every time. Javier (Castellano, his jockey) and him have a fabulous relationship and it was a great day. Thank you to Charles Blanford for believing and trusting me with his placement and to my whole team current and in the past that has helped the stable reach this next level, it takes a village!"
Previously, Crabs n Beer had dead heated for the win in a $48,600, 1 mile Allowance turf race at Laurel on April 27.
Rising Sun Racing Stables' Fun Lovin Criminal won a $29,300, 1 1/16 mile Starter Optional Claiming race by 1 1/2 lengths at Pimlico on May 11.
Brion got Fun Lovin Criminal in the spring of 2023 after he had won twice in eight starts, and since then Fun Lovin Criminal has four wins, two seconds and two thirds in nine races.
Brion also saddled R and K Racing's Big Bi Star to win a $42,800, 1 1/8 mile Maiden Claiming turf race at Laurel on April 28.
MOTION saddled Amerman Racing's Trikari to win the G 2, $600,000, 1 1/16 mile American Turf Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Churchill Downs.
The 3-year-old Trikari now has three wins, including two in stakes, and a second from five starts and $541,890 in earnings.
Motion also had three allowance winners, beginning with Mrs. Fitriani Hay's Priyanka, who won a $49,000, 1 1/16 mile Allowance turf race by 4 lengths at Pimlico on May 18.
Calumet Farms homebred Sun Bee won a $60,640, 1 mile Allowance Optional Claiming turf race by a nose at Pimlico on May 17, and Bridlewood Farm and Madaket Stables' No Show Sammy won a $100,000, 1 mile Allowance turf race by a nose at Belmont on May 19,
HOUGHTON had two winners at Penn National on May 2, including finishing first and second in an allowance race.
Dianne Stern's homebred Foxy Junior won a $32,000, 1 1/16 mile Allowance Optional Claiming by 11 1//2 lengths over James Eshelman's Swan Point, also trained by Houghton.
Earlier in the evening, Melissa Houghton's Jack Brake Alley won a $24,000, 6 furlong Maiden Claiming race by 6 3/4 lengths and was claimed by Ronald Rogers.
Spring Hollow Racing's Uptown Seraphina won a $13,000, 6 furlong Claiming race at Penn National by 2 3/4 lengths on May 4, and Robin Perry's homebred Mayday Mayhem won a $21,000, 5 furlong Maiden Claiming by 6 lengths at Penn National on May 17.
