Regal Glory Goes All the Way in Matriarch

Peter Brant had to bid $925,000, the co-top price of the sale, to get Regal Glory  early this year at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. That looked like a bargain at Del Mar Nov. 28, as Regal Glory became a grade 1 winner in the $400,500 Matriarch Stakes (G1T).

The race also cemented trainer Chad Brown's recent domination of the Matriarch. The New York-based trainer has won four of the last five editions, with Off Limits  in 2017, Uni  in 2018, Viadera  in 2020, and now Regal Glory.

Favoritism ping-ponged between Regal Glory and Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) winner Princess Grace  leading up to the Matriarch, a one-mile turf event for fillies and mares 3 and up. Ultimately, Princess Grace went off as the narrow 3-2 favorite over Regal Glory at 8-5.

The biggest question was who would set the pace. Princess Grace had won the Yellow Ribbon coming from off the pace and lost the Nov. 6 Goldikova Stakes Presented by PNC (G2T) after having to set the fractions.

None of the six Matriarch entrants are frontrunners. When the gate opened, Kent Desormeaux, riding Princess Grace from the rail, wrestled her back to last. Jockey Jose Ortiz let Regal Glory head to the front from post 6, and no one pushed them.

That allowed Regal Glory to gallop along all by herself, and she got away with the first quarter-mile in :24.06 and a half-mile in :48.50.

"I thought I'd have the lead and thought I was the only real speed in the race," said Ortiz. "We got away with some easy fractions, and then she had lots for the finish."

Turning for home, Regal Glory maintained her lead, while Desormeaux tried to rally Princess Grace. Desormeaux attempted to split horses and had to check Princess Grace, who despite the traffic gamely began making up some ground. 

Regal Glory had plenty of run left, though, and was easily able to hold off the field. She scored by 2 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:35.33 on the firm turf. Zofelle , second for most of the race, finished in that position, a length in front of Princess Grace. Viadera, last year's winner, ran fourth, followed by Fast Jet Court  and Bodhicitta . The winner returned $5.20 for a $2 win ticket.

"Just go to the lead—that's what my boss told the jockey," said Jose Hernandez, Brown's assistant. "She's a really nice filly and she did it all."

Brown has trained Regal Glory from the outset, initially for breeder Paul Pompa Jr. In Pompa's colors, the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Animal Kingdom —Mary's Follies , by More Than Ready  , won five stakes, including the 2019 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T), in which she dead-heated with Varenka .

Pompa, whose horses included 2008 champion 3-year-old male Big Brown  , passed away Oct. 9, 2020, just a month after Regal Glory won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs. Lane's End offered the complete dispersal of Pompa's Thoroughbreds at the Keeneland January sale, and Brant bought Regal Glory there in the name of his White Birch Farm.

Mary's Follies, also part of the dispersal, sold to BBA Ireland for $500,000. The mare has produced graded winners Night Prowler  and Cafe Pharoah  in addition to Regal Glory. Her latest reported foal is a yearling Connect   colt, bought for $185,000 by OXO Equine at the Keeneland January sale. She was bred to American Pharoah   for 2022.

The Matriarch was Regal Glory's fifth start for Brant and third win for him. Earlier this year she captured the Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. With the Matriarch, Regal Glory raised her lifetime earnings to $1,244,884 with a 9-4-0 record in 16 starts.

Video: Matriarch S. (G1T)

Verbal Stays Perfect in DeMille

Earlier on the card, Chad Brown nabbed his first of the day when Juddmonte's 2-year-old Verbal  rallied off a swift pace in the $102,500 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) to remain perfect in two starts. The homebred son of Flintshire   was highly touted coming into the Cecil B. DeMille after turning heads in a flashy Oct. 10 debut performance at Belmont Park.

Bet down as the even-money favorite in the field of 10, which included the stakes-placed Optimising  from the Michael McCarthy barn, Verbal settled midpack early under rider Jose Ortiz. Up front, Groovy Huey  and Get Back Goldie  sparred through a blistering opening quarter mile in :22.04 and a half in :46.10 that eventually left both horses waving the white flag at the top of the lane. As the gap began to close on the tiring frontrunners into the bend, Ortiz set Verbal down to a drive and the colt responded willingly, collaring Cabo Spirit  in the final yards, who was battling a game 49-1 Barsabas  to his inside. As the three hit the wire, it was Verbal on top by a half-length over Barsabas with Cabo Spirit a nose back in third.

The mile on a firm turf course was timed in 1:36.16. Verbal paid $4 to win from a $2 win bet.

"(Verbal) won easy last time, but that was against maidens," said Ortiz. "He was running against winners today, much better horses. I knew there would be speed in the race so, even though I had the outside post, I was able to drop over and save some ground. He came running when it counted. The boss (Brown) knows how to spot a horse. He had it right today."

"I liked the way he was coming into this race, he's been training well," said Brown's assistant Jose Hernandez. "It worked out like we thought. He's got a really good turn of foot and he got there. We didn't have much luck yesterday, but this is a really good start for today."

Verbal became the first North American graded stakes winner for his sire Flintshire, who was recently relocated to Haras de Montaigu in France for the 2022 season after standing five seasons at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Kentucky. Produced from the winning Bernardini mare Endless Chat, he is a half brother to graded stakes-placed Toledo  (Into Mischief  ). Endless Chat has a yearling colt by Arrogate and delivered an Into Mischief colt this past spring. She was bred to Kantharos   for 2022.

Video: Cecil B. DeMille S. (G3T)