Matareya Earns First Grade 1 Victory in Acorn Stakes
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Photo: © 2022 Skip Dickstein/Tim Lanahan
Matareya wins the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park
An Acorn Stakes (G1) billed as a two-filly matchup turned into a blowout victory for Godolphin's Matareya when favored Echo Zulu was scratched on the advice of the track veterinarian minutes before post time.
Matareya then did her part to excite the crowd, rolling by 6 1/4 lengths over three fillies that lacked the speed and class to keep up with the multiple graded stakes winner. Outbreaking her rivals, she darted to the lead with splits of :23.39, :46.40, and 1:10.68 in the one-mile race, and won under a hand ride from Flavien Prat.
The sophomore daughter of Pioneerof the Nile was clocked in 1:35.77, and returned $2.60 to win. She had been the second choice in the betting prior to Echo Zulu's scratch.
Joel Rosario, jockey for Echo Zulu, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2021 for owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, said his mount "took a long time to warm up" and was a "little bit off."
Dr. Anthony Verderosa, director of NYRA veterinarians, said Echo Zulu was lame in her left front.
Echo Zulu before being scratched at the gate in the Acorn Stakes
The scratch robbed the Acorn of half of its star appeal, though the winning connections of Matareya said they would still savor the accomplishment, her first grade 1 triumph.
"I don't think it was near as exciting, the actual watching of the race, but hey, it's a grade 1," said trainer Brad Cox. "It's on the New York circuit. It's a real deal. She's a grade 1 winner and I'm very proud of her."
The victory was the second Acorn win for Cox following multiple champion Monomoy Girl 's score in 2018.
Matareya, a Godolphin homebred, is 4-for-4 in 2022. She began the season by winning an allowance race at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, added the Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) at Keeneland, and followed with a win the Eight Belles Stakes Presented by TwinSpires (G2) at Churchill Downs. The two earlier stakes victories were under Prat.
Matareya joins her connections in the winner's circle
"I was pretty much going to ride her the same with or without the scratch," said the jockey. "She broke super, super sharp, and got me right to the lead and she was cruising all the way around.
"I think she's always been a high hope in the barn and she just needs that one turn."
Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin USA, echoed the rider's view of her high effectiveness in such races.
"Look, it was an unfortunate situation with the scratch from the favorite," he said. "But we fancied her chances coming in here, thinking we had a very realistic chance. The distance was maybe something we didn't know, but we liked the one turn.
"She's a good filly. She's progressed all year long. She's undefeated this year. So we really like her," Banahan said. "We think she's probably the best sprinting filly in the country."
She will get her chance to show it this summer, with Cox mentioning the $500,000 Longines Test Stakes (G1) going seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course as a summer goal Aug. 6. The filly earned $275,000 in winning the $465,000 race, improving her earnings to $946,867 with a 5-2-0 record in eight starts.
Divine Huntress and Dream Lith picked up grade 1 stakes-placings in the Acorn, with the former running second, 5 1/2 lengths in front of Dream Lith in third. The maiden Inventing ran last of the four competitors.
Graham Motion, trainer of Divine Huntress, said he thought his filly would appreciate cutting back to a mile after a fourth-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course.
"It was not my intention to run in this race, but when it was such a small field, I thought we had to take a shot," Motion noted. "Sometimes you have to. I love this filly. She's very consistent. Maybe she's not as good as the favorites, but she's a good filly."
Kentucky-bred Matareya is out of Innovative Idea , a daughter of Bernardini who won the 2016 Groupie Doll Stakes (G3) at a mile at Ellis Park during her racing career. Innovative Idea has produced two winners from as many starters and has an unraced juvenile Uncle Mo filly named Methodology and a yearling full brother to Methodology.
(L-R): Renee Postel, Brad Cox, Michael Banahan, Flavien Prat, and Frank Gabriel Jr. enjoy the trophy presentation for the Acorn Stakes
"Of course, we all want them to be Oaks fillies, right?" Banahan said. "But it's nice having a really good, fast filly like that. And that's a fast family. It's no surprise that's what she wants to do.
"We sent the mare to Pioneerof the Nile, hoping to get a little more distance, but if she can win a race like the Acorn, we'll take that any day."
Echo Zulu being jogged back to connections after being scratched at the gate by track vet. pic.twitter.com/UsUBNALZY9
— Bryan Langlois, DVM (@Animalsheltrdoc) June 11, 2022