Slick Matriarch Win for Front-Running La Tia
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Front-running La Tia, shipping in from Chicago, led all the way to earn her first grade I victory in the $300,000 Matriarch Stakes on the concluding day of the Del Mar fall meet Nov. 30.
Joel Rosario drove the 5-year-old daughter of City Place to a 1 1/4-length score over the closing Queen of The Sand in a time of 1:35.37 for the one-mile distance on firm turf. Discreet Marq, the 3-2 favorite in the field of seven fillies and mares, finished third.
The well-traveled La Tia is an Illinois homebred of Salvador Hernandez and is trained by Armando de la Cerda. She improved to 4-for-4 at the one-mile distance while earning her fourth graded stakes win of the year.
De la Cerda got a gallop into La Tia over the Del Mar lawn two days prior to the Matriarch and felt she would like the firm going.
"This is my first time to Del Mar, the first horse I've run here, and my first grade I winner," he noted. "(La Tia) worked last Saturday at Hawthorne, then went to Lexington, and then came out here. She has not been very good to travel, she loses weight, so I wanted to come early."
La Tia was the 2-1 second choice. New York shipper Discreet Marq ran second in last year's Matriarch, held at Hollywood Park, by a nose to Egg Drop for trainer Christophe Clement. She won her only prior try on the Del Mar turf, taking the Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) 3 1/2 months earlier, and was coming off a three-length win over New York-breds in the Ticonderoga Stakes Oct. 18 at Belmont Park.
Breaking from gate 3, La Tia went directly to the front while angling to the rail, establishing a one-length edge over Gender Agenda and maintaining the advantage through quarter-mile fractions of :23.65, :47.92, and 1:11.99. Discreet Marq tracked in third.
Queen of The Sand, winner of the opening-day Kathryn Crosby Stakes, saved ground at the back of the pack before picking up her pace rounding the final turn for Mike Smith, while Discreet Marq and Irad Ortiz Jr. advanced into second in the homestretch. But neither challenger was doing enough to get to La Tia, who led by 1 1/2 lengths at the eighth pole and held sway with determination while running the final furlong in 11.75 seconds.
"She was a little slow going away from there, but I got her going and she was game from there," said Rosario, who previously was one of the leading riders in Southern California but is now based on the East Coast. "I knew those other horses would be coming, but my filly was tough. I still had some left at the end, too. She still had something in the tank.
"I love riding out here. I always have. I want to come back more. I'm going to get my agent working on getting me more horses out this way."
La Tia, showed similar grit for Rosario with a front-running neck victory in the Athenia Stakes (gr. IIIT) over a yielding Belmont Park inner turf course in her most recent start, her only prior graded stakes win on grass. She also recorded romping wins this season at Woodbine in the Ontario Matron (Can-III) and the Arlington Matron (gr. III) at Arlington International Race Course, both over Polytrack.
She improved her career line to 10-1-5 in 23 races and is closing in on the $1 million mark with earnings of $983,326. Eight of her victories have come in stakes races.
La Tia is one seven winners, and the first stakes winner, from as many starters for her dam, the Sky Classic mare La Adelita.
Carrying 123 pounds, La Tia paid $6.60, $3.40, and $2.60. The Irish-bred Queen of The Sand finished half a length in front of Discreet Marq and returned $4.40 and $2.80. The exacta was worth $27. Discreet Marq paid $2.20. Gender Agenda, Strathnaver, Sheza Smoke Show, and Kadaya completed the order.
"I had to tap on the brakes with her in the first turn and it cost me," Smith said of his trip with Queen of The Sand. "She ran good though."
Lexie Lou, second to California Chrome in the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) a day earlier at Del Mar, was scratched.