Got Stormy Prevails With Late Run in Matriarch Stakes
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Got Stormy wins the Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar
After spending a good portion of her 2019 season proving once again that gender is no barrier to success, Gary Barber's Got Stormy left the boys to their own devices Dec. 1 to pit herself against a bit of girl power in the $302,106 Matriarch Stakes (G1T) at Del Mar.
"It was a grade 1 on the turf, and in the last three or four races, she's run against the boys, so I said, 'Why don't we try her against the girls again and see how she stacks up?'" Barber said. "It's another grade 1 to put on her résumé. The rest is history."
Sent out under regular rider Tyler Gaffalione, the 4-year-old Get Stormy filly broke late in the field of 11 fillies and mares. Daddy Is a Legend, ridden by Manuel Franco, was checked sharply from the break and guided to the back of the pack.
Florida-bred mare Painting Corners took the lead on the rail and guided the field through fractions of :22.55 and :45.55 through the half-mile. Storm the Hill and Juliet Foxtrot pressed the pace just off the rail.
Got Stormy gave chase along the backstretch before being angled out four wide at the top of the stretch. The filly gained control just past the eighth pole as Daddy Is a Legend split horses off the turn for home and made her own late bid for the lead on the far outside. Gaffalione asked Got Stormy for more, and the pair pushed to the wire to fend off Daddy Is a Legend by three-quarters of a length. The final time for the one-mile turf test was 1:34.24.
Juliet Foxtrot moved up for third, followed by Toinette in fourth. Storm the Hill, Simply Breathless, Significant Form, Giza Goddess, Mucho Unusual, and Lakerball followed. Painting Corners tired in deep stretch and finished last.
Got Stormy, who hasn't finished off the board in eight starts this season, entered Sunday's test off two runner-up finishes against males in the Sept. 14 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine and Nov. 2 TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.
"I thought she ran a really good race in the Breeders' Cup, but I wanted to give her another opportunity," Barber said. "To win it here at Del Mar, which is one of our favorite tracks—it's a blessing."
Got Stormy's most impressive efforts of the season came in early August, when she won back-to-back stakes at Saratoga Race Course a week apart in the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes and Fourstardave Handicap (G1T). The Mark Casse trainee crushed her male rivals in the Fourstardave, clearing the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front and setting a course record for a mile over turf in 1:32 flat.
"She's really good at a mile," Gafflione said. "We haven't really tested her much further, but she's good at this, so we will stick with it."
"She's just special," Barber echoed. "When she won a week apart—two stakes races at Saratoga—and broke the track record there, beating the boys in a grade 1 … she's just special."
Owner Gary Barber and Tyler Gaffalione celebrate after Got Stormy's victory in the Matriarch at Del Mar
Bred in Kentucky by Mt. Joy Stables, Pope McLean, Marc McLean, and Pope McLean Jr., Got Stormy is out of the Malabar Gold mare Super Phoebe and is a half sister to stakes-placed Sky Gold. She was purchased for $45,000 by Alan Quartucci from Niall Brennan Stables' consignment to the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Got Stormy improved her record to 8-3-3 from 18 starts for $1,430,578 in earnings.