Invaders Aplenty in Matriarch at Del Mar

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Invaders Aplenty in Matriarch at Del Mar
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Joe Labozzetta
Uni after winning the 2017 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park

East will truly meet West in the $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (G1T) Dec. 2 at Del Mar.

Out-of-state horses often ship in for top-level grass races in Southern California, but it's rarely more than a few. The one-mile Matriarch, however, will feature 14 fillies and mares, and half of them are invaders, highlighted by a trio from the powerful barn of trainer Chad Brown.

Brown not only has numbers, he has quality. His three—Quidura, Uni, and Rymska—are all multiple graded winners, and two are coming off multiple-length victories.

Rymska posted a 2 1/2-length score in the Athenia Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park last time out Oct. 21, and Uni dominated the Nobel Damsel Stakes (G3T) by 3 3/4 lengths Sept. 22 at Belmont.

Unfortunately for Brown, they've drawn the two outside posts in the cramped field. Quidura, the Aug. 25 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T) winner, will exit post 5.

"It's unfortunate about the bad posts, and you can come up with some sort of strategy with your jocks, but in that race, with that many horses on a tight mile turf course, what happens after the gates open isn't really up to you," Brown said.

The local contingent is headed by claimer-turned-star Vasilika, who has won eight straight races—the last three in graded stakes. The highlight of the year for the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Skipshot filly was her score in the Sept. 29 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, and she came right back to win the Nov. 4 Goldikova Stakes (G2T).

Other invaders include grade 3 winner Valadorna, who finished second to fellow Matriarch entrant Insta Erma in the Sept. 8 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T); Lake George Stakes (G3T) victress Daddy Is a Legend, who also won the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar in 2017; Mission Impassible, the Galileo filly who was runner-up in Keeneland's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes presented by Lane's End (G1T) in her first U.S. start after a group 2 score in France; and multiple graded winner Dona Bruja, second by a head last time out in the Oct. 6 First Lady Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland.

Speedy Fahan Mura, who came in second behind Vasilika in the Goldikova, and Excellent Sunset, who was disqualified from first in the Nov. 9 Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, are other locals who could have an impact.


Entries: Matriarch S. (G1T)

Del Mar, Sunday, December 02, 2018, Race 7

  • Grade IT
  • 1m
  • Turf
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 3:30 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Excellent Sunset (IRE) Rafael Bejarano 123 Anna Meah 30/1
2 2Valadorna (KY) Mike E. Smith 123 Mark E. Casse 15/1
3 3Fahan Mura (PA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Edwin A. Maldonado 123 Vladimir Cerin 12/1
4 4Mopotism (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Geovanni Franco 123 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1
5 5Quidura (GB) Jose L. Ortiz 123 Chad C. Brown 8/1
6 6Ms Bad Behavior (ON)Keeneland Sales Graduate Tyler Baze 120 Richard Baltas 20/1
7 7Daddy Is a Legend (PA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Manuel Franco 120 George Weaver 20/1
8 8Insta Erma (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Drayden Van Dyke 123 Richard Baltas 12/1
9 9Vasilika (KY) Flavien Prat 123 Jerry Hollendorfer 7/2
10 10Mission Impassible (IRE) Florent Geroux 120 Rodolphe Brisset 5/1
11 11Luminoso (KY) Evin A. Roman 120 Doug F. O'Neill 30/1
12 12Dona Bruja (ARG) Declan Cannon 123 Ignacio Correas, IV 8/1
13 13Uni (GB) Joel Rosario 123 Chad C. Brown 9/2
14 14Rymska (FR) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 123 Chad C. Brown 5/1