Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Presented by Lane's End

Time and Motion wore down Hawksmoor and held off Harmonize with a perfectly timed run Oct. 15, edging her rivals to claim her first Grade 1 in the final strides of the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End at Keeneland.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez mounted a wide bid from fifth aboard Phillips Racing Partnership’s homebred 3-year-old Tapit filly, whose late rally was just enough.

The Phillips family has a storied legacy in the QE II that began with Darby Dan Farm founder John Galbreath. Six QE II trophies have now been presented to Darby Dan representatives, beginning in 1987 when Graceful Darby — owned and bred by Joan and James Phillips — took the third running. The family’s other winners are Love You by Heart (1988), Plenty of Grace (1990), Tribulation (1993), and Memories of Silver (1996).

“I was just thinking of a long time breeding horses and hoping that the horse runs to her pedigree,” John Phillips said. “It’s really neat to have won this race so many times. We’ve been so blessed to be here at Keeneland with home crowds and family. We kind of point for this race, the whole family does. And the last two outings we’ve had the favorite and been disappointed, but it is always a thrill, win or lose, to be here — and today we won. And it was great because we had our entire family from all over the country here.”

It was Time and Motion’s second consecutive graded stakes score for trainer Jimmy Toner; she took the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes on Aug. 21 at Saratoga Race Course over Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse last time out.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Catch a Glimpse, favored at 1.70-1 in a field of eight, set off for the early lead in the QE II with Hawksmoor in close pursuit. The flashy chestnut filly set quarter-mile fractions of :22.99 and :47.46 in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, and still had a half-length advantage as three-quarters went in 1:12.41, but wound up fading to seventh in the stretch.

Hawksmoor, making her North American debut, took over off the turn for home and opened a half-length advantage in the stretch, but lost second by a whisker to Grade 1 winner Harmonize, who also rallied powerfully at the finish. The final time on firm turf was 1:50.24.

Time and Motion, off at odds of 3-1, returned $8, $4.60, and $3.80. Harmonize paid $8.40 and $5.20 at 10-1 odds, while Hawksmoor, also 10-1, brought $7.20.

Time and Motion was bred in Kentucky out of the stakes-winning Kris S. mare Ellie’s Moment. She improved her record to five wins from nine starts with earnings of $923,150.