GRAHAM MOTION ENTERS PROMISING PAIR IN EXACTA SYSTEMS ROSIE’S, KITTEN’S JOY JUVENILE STAKES ON CLOSING DAY
Posted on September 2nd, 2026
The filly Life’s Pageant takes on male rivals in the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs on Sept. 7. (Photo credit: Coady Media)
The homebred Induction was a winner over the Colonial Downs turf on Aug. 9 and seeks to make it two straight local scores in the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy on Sept. 7. (Photo credit: Coady Media).
I Feel Lucky, winner of the Hickory Tree Stakes on the main track, seeks a turf score in the $125,000 Exacta System’s Rosie’s Stakes on Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs. (Photo credit: Coady Media)
Excessif looks for a second straight score when starting in the Sept. 7 renewal of the $125,000 Exacta System’s Rosie’s System at Colonial Downs. (Photo credit: Coady Media)
NEW KENT, Va. (Sept. 1, 2026) — Trainer Graham Motion will send out a pair of promising juveniles on Colonial Downs’ closing-day Labor Day program, with Excessif heading a field of seven in the $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie’s Stakes at 5½ furlongs on turf and Induction heading a field of nine in the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes at 1-1/16 miles on turf.
The fully subscribed Old Dominion Derby headlines Monday’s Labor Day card, which features six turf stakes worth a combined $1.3 million in purses, including the 1 1/8-mile $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks, which drew 11 3-year-old fillies. The supporting lineup includes the $150,000 Colonial Cup at 1½ miles and the 5½-furlong $150,000 Da Hoss, both for 3-year-olds and older. . First post Monday is 12 p.m. ET.
Wertheimer and Frere’s homebred Excessif will represent Motion in the Rosie’s after breaking his maiden over the Colonial turf Aug. 16. The Quality Road colt debuted with a fourth-place finish in a $115,000 maiden special weight at Saratoga July 9 before rallying in his second start to win a six-furlong turf maiden at Colonial by a half-length over fellow Rosie’s entrant Golden Corsair. Jorge Ruiz has the return mount.
The Rosie’s also drew stakes winner I Feel Lucky and Colonial maiden winners Omaha Spirit and Bee Crazy. I Feel Lucky rallied from last to capture the $100,000 Hickory Tree Stakes by 3¾ lengths Aug. 2; Omaha Spirit, trained by Wesley Ward, is unbeaten in one start after a front-running five-furlong turf victory at Colonial July 5; and Bee Crazy, trained by Kelsey Danner, won a five-furlong Colonial maiden the same day by 2¾ lengths.
Motion’s Kitten’s Joy entrant, Pin Oak Stud homebred Induction, was impressive in his Aug. 9 debut at Colonial. The Scalding colt rallied from fifth to win a one-mile maiden special weight by two lengths, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire. Ruiz also has the mount on Induction.
Two fillies will take on the boys in the Kitten’s Joy. Life’s Pageant, trained by Keith Desormeaux, improved from a third-place debut to win a 5½-furlong turf maiden at Colonial Aug. 8, while Mightily, trained by Jeremiah O’Dwyer, won her debut July 11 on the Colonial turf, capturing a one-mile maiden special weight by 1¼ lengths.
The Exacta Systems Rosie’s Stakes is Race 6, followed by the Kitten’s Joy Stakes in Race 7.
