Graham Motion didn’t realize he was going to win the Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes on Saturday at Laurel Park until Warming was already well on her way down the stretch. Focused on his early leader in the field, the trainer hardly saw the late-closing 8-1 shot before she sailed home to a one-length victory. “I was surprised when I saw Warming coming,” Motion said. The trainer, who said he appreciated the chance to run horses at Laurel on Preakness Day, won two stakes on the card, both with horses switching from turf to synthetic. Turf Star, a 3-year-old colt, came out of the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks to win the $100,000 James W. Murphy. In the $250,000 Latonia at Turfway Park last time out, jockey John Velazquez kept Warming closer to the lead before backing off to finish a distant third. This time, he always planned on making a single run with the 4-year-old filly. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “She was a bit on the bridle when they went slow on the Tapeta last time,” Velazquez said. “The more I held her, the more she just wanted to let it go, and she didn’t finish. Today, she was loose reins, came back there, and relaxed really well.” In a largely paceless 1 1/16-mile turf race, Motion said he was somewhat dismayed to see Ribaltagaia go for the early lead. The 5-year-old mare left Europe in late 2024 to chase pacesetters in the United States, but she has led in 2 of 4 starts since traveling overseas. “I was afraid that might happen, and she really came here from Europe because there was never any pace in the races,” Motion said. “And then today, she ends up on the lead. We’ll regroup. She's a nice filly.” While her stablemate led the field of eight through an opening quarter-mile in 23.95 seconds and half-mile in 48.21, Warming and Velazquez sat eight lengths behind in sixth. She ran ahead of Child of the Moon and Cheetah Lady, who also were waiting to make their moves from even farther back. Austere and 3-1 favorite Awesome Czech were the first to challenge Ribaltagaia on the far turn, but by the time the field reached midstretch, it was clear the race was setting up for the closers. Warming, Child of the Moon, and Cheetah Lady all came flying, transforming the race in the final furlong. Motion, who spent most of the Gallorette willing-on Ribaltagaia, discovered his second chance nearly as quickly as he lost his first. With a head start on her fellow closers, Warming easily kicked clear under Velazquez with plenty left. She completed the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:35.82. In both stakes races Motion won at Laurel on Saturday, he had two horses entered, and the longer price scored in both. Warming paid $19.80 to win. Last year, Warming made a statement when she won her first stakes in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss at Del Mar in November. But in her return to the turf in the Gallorette, Motion said she showed dramatic improvement. “She was my best 2-year-old, had a lot of issues going around,” Motion said. “But we always thought she was this kind of filly, and I think finally, we saw her today. I know she won the race in California, but this was a different level today.” Child of the Moon, one of two runners in the field trained by Chad Brown, rallied for second under Irad Ortiz Jr. She finished three-quarters of a length clear of Cheetah Lady, who sniped Austere to take third for Whit Beckman. Brown’s other runner, Accent, chased in fifth early on and was stuck behind horses for much of the race and settled for fifth. Since winning three straight to start her career, she has had poor racing luck in two stakes starts. - additional reporting by Nicole Russo   :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.