Motivator doesn’t need soft option – Bell
The Montjeu colt ran out an impressive winner of the Doncaster race when sluicing through the mud to beat Albert Hall by two and a half lengths.
The twice-raced juvenile had previously scored on a soft surface at Newmarket in August, but Bell is confident he will able to show the same form on faster ground.
Motivator is a general 14-1 for next year's Vodafone Derby and the Fitzroy House handler told At The Races: "Epsom is normally very well watered.
"Every time I have walked the course there they have done an outstanding job by ensuring good ground which would be fine for the horse, as I am sure genuine good to firm will be.
"The reason why we avoided Ascot this year (for the Royal Lodge Stakes) was it was plain fast and the sub-soil there means if it is quick ground, it is lightning-fast."
Plans for next season remain fluid, though, with Motivator also as low as 14-1 for the 2000 Guineas.
"We haven't decided yet and there are a lot of decisions to be made over the winter and early in the spring, but I certainly wouldn't rule the Guineas in or out at this stage," continued Bell.
"However, I do feel he is a Guineas horse in the making. We have a lot to discuss and a lot to look forward to but it is a really nice subject to be discussing."
Reflecting on Motivator's win in the final Group One of the British Flat season, Bell added: "He had looked a very high-class horse in his home work and he looked pretty good when he won his maiden.
"I had been desperate to run him and am just glad that he showed on the racecourse what he had been doing at home in the morning."
