Ward Has Two Chances to Win Matron Second Straight Year

Trainer Wesley Ward, a two-time winner of the Matron Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park, has entered the formidable duo of Chi Town Lady  and Poppy Flower  for the Oct. 9 running of the six-furlong inner turf sprint for juvenile fillies worth $150,000.

Ward won in 2020 with Royal Approval  and in 2017 with Happy Like a Fool .

Ward said Castleton Lyons' Chi Town Lady is also under consideration for a start against the boys in the Oct. 10 $150,000 Futurity (G3T), which offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T).

Chi Town Lady and Poppy Flower breezed five furlongs in company Oct. 2 on the Belmont inner turf.

"I'm looking at that race and the Futurity as well," Ward said. "She had a big work in company with Poppy Flower. The owner of Poppy Flower was on hand and said that Chi Town Lady looked much better in the work."

Chi Town Lady graduated by three lengths at first asking sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs on the Keeneland main track. The Verrazano  chestnut stumbled at the start last out Aug. 18 in the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing Stakes over a yielding Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Saratoga Race Course, but was able to regroup to best stablemate Poppy Flower by 1 3/4 lengths.

"She's really starting to blossom as time has gone on," Ward said. "She was always a nice filly, but she's one of these 2-year-olds that with time is getting better."

Ward said if Chi Town Lady continues to thrive, he would consider entering her in the one-mile $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).

"This particular filly I think will go a mile, especially at Del Mar, so I'm thinking about the mile race on the grass for her," Ward said.

Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower graduated at third asking in a six-furlong turf sprint at Belmont June 20 ahead of her Bolton Landing second. The Lea   chestnut enters from a third-place finish in the Ainsworth Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs.

Commonwealth New Era Racing's Dufresne  will look to make amends following a lackluster effort in her stakes debut when stepping into graded company Saturday.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, the Uncaptured  bay traveled wide throughout in the Woodbine Cares Stakes and appeared to hang coming out of the turn before gaining momentum in the final sixteenth, closing to finish third in the five-furlong inner-turf test last out Sept. 19.

"We don't really know what to make of that last effort; hopefully we see a good performance up there on Saturday," Trombetta said. "She likes to be close, but I don't think she needs to be on the lead. The distance should help her."

Dufresne graduated at second asking sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs against fellow New York-breds over firm footing Aug. 12 at Saratoga.

Trombetta, who has 1,993 career wins through Oct. 6, said Dufresne has the frame of a stakes sprinter.

"She's real solidly built. She's not real big, but she's solid," Trombetta said. "She's done everything we've asked of her. This will be another test to see if she's good enough to run at that track with these horses."

Swilcan Stable and LC Racing's Mainstay , a half sister to 2020 champion 2-year-old champion Vequist , will make her turf debut. Trained by Butch Reid Jr., she won her June 4 debut by 7 3/4 lengths sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs on a sloppy Monmouth Park main track and followed with a runner-up effort in the six-furlong Schuylerville Stakes (G3) in July at Saratoga. Mainstay enters from a fading fourth in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack Stakes (G2) Aug. 8 at the Spa.

Entries: Matron S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Saturday, October 09, 2021, Race 6

• Grade III
• 6f
• Inner turf
• $150,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 3:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Poppy Flower (KY)	David Romero Flores	120	Wesley A. Ward	10/1
2	2The Club (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Christophe Clement	15/1
3	3Mystic Eyes (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
4	4Lady Danae (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Joe Sharp	6/1
5	5Dufresne (NY)	Eric Cancel	120	Michael J. Trombetta	20/1
6	6Makin My Move (NY)	Javier Castellano	120	John C. Kimmel	8/1
7	7Bubble Rock (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Brad H. Cox	7/2
8	8Chi Town Lady (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Wesley A. Ward	4/1
9	9High Arabian (KY)	Benjamin Hernandez	120	Alison Escobar	50/1
10	10Benbang (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	120	Jonathan Thomas	15/1
11	11Mainstay (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	6/1
12	12Gal in a Rush (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Christophe Clement	30/1