GRAHAM Motion stood in his shedrow at his main barn at Fair Hill Training Center on May 30th and talked about a potential jumper for sale, about a job for his son at Saratoga this summer and about American racing politics.

Before, during and after all points of conversation, the British-born, American-based conditioner nonchalantly, almost subconsciously, pointed to a big, bay filly making left turns. “There’s Miss Temple City,” Motion said. Dapples made like spin art, Miss Temple City strolled past.

A few minutes later, again, Motion, pointed, “There’s Miss Temple City.” Each time, Motion stopped talking and watched.

Miss Temple City, fresh off whipping the boys in the Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland in April, has grown up. Round and robust, her three-year-old gaps have filled in, like mortar between bricks.

Fourth in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, the only time she’s finished worse than third in her career, Miss Temple City returned from a six-month layoff to win the Maker’s Mark in April. That’s what Motion does best, pick a spot and aim at it. “That’s fun, that’s what I like to do,” Motion said of avoiding champion Tepin and winning the Grade 1 stakes. Royal Ascot is the next target. The four-time winner is aiming for the Duke of Cambridgshire Stakes on June 15th.

“Everybody after last year was very keen to come back this year, we all felt that we would love to do it again if we had another chance,” Motion said. “I wanted to be pragmatic about it, I didn’t want to be twisting everybody’s arm to do it and the filly had to come out running, to show she belonged. She did that more than I could have expected.”

Motion and the team will pass up the $700,000 Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont Park to fly across the world for a $250,000 Group 2 race.

“It’s about the challenge, I like the challenge to go over there and trying to win. It won’t be easy. I’m glad we can go into the race and feel like we have a strong chance, we don’t have to run against colts and we don’t have to run against Tepin,” Motion said. “It’s something I would really like to accomplish. She doesn’t need Lasix, she’s been there before, I know the routine, I’ve got a pretty good handle of what we want to do in the mornings and the routine on race day. And we’ve got Ryan Moore.” Even in America, there is the Moore Factor.

“The straight mile worries me, but I feel comfortable having Ryan Moore riding her. That’s not a knock on our guys, but he’s navigated it and done it very well. I do think it must help to have a guy who’s so familiar with it,” Motion said.

“We pressed to get him since she ran at Keeneland, Coolmore doesn’t have anything for it and he fell into our hands. To get the best…I have huge respect for him.”

While Moore will be in charge in the afternoon, Robbie Walsh has been in charge in the morning. The 40-year-old Kilkenny native has ridden Miss Temple City all spring, engineering her final turf breeze before she shipped to Keeneland to meet up with Tepin and then fly to David Lanigan’s yard in Britain.

“She’s excellent, I don’t think she could be any better. I didn’t ride her much last year but she feels like she’s matured and improved quite a bit,” Walsh said. “She’s pushbutton to breeze. The first impression I got of a horse like her was when I was breezing Smart Bid next to Animal Kingdom. He would come to me and I’m on a really good horse, I’d look across and say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He would be going that much easier. Main Sequence was the same, it’s that extra bit that most horses don’t have, that’s what makes them champions.”

Walsh guided champion Demonstrative to his biggest wins over hurdles, including the Grand National at Far Hills, the New York Turf Writers Cup at Saratoga (twice), the Iroquois and the Lonesome Glory at Belmont Park, and guided champion Main Sequence through his paces for Motion.

Beholder’s eighth

CHAMPION Beholder continued her march, winning her eighth stakes in a row and 17th career victory with a facile score in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile at Santa Anita last Saturday. The six-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes dispatched three-year-old filly champion Stellar Wind like she was flicking crumbs from a cutting board.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella and ridden by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, Beholder missed last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic when she bled after a routine gallop. This year, all roads lead back to the Breeders’ Cup.

Irish-bred winner

IRISH-bred Hunt did what he was supposed to do in the Siren Lure Stakes at Santa Anita last Sunday. The four-year-old son of Dark Angel ousted four rivals in the $75,000 stakes.

Bred by Michael O’Callaghan, Hunt picked up his fourth victory and first stakes victory since joining owner Michael House and trainer Philip D’Amato last summer.

Songbird set to return

UNDEFEATED champion Songbird hasn’t raced since winning the Santa Anita Oaks, her seventh in a row, back in April. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is nearing lift off again; she breezed six furlongs in 1m 13 on the same day Beholder won the Vanity. The Summertime Oaks could be her return spot on June 18th.