The Matriarch – Grade I
DMR Race #7 1m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $300.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.

1 Lady Hilltopper Black N Gold Stable Velazquez J R 124
After finally getting her BC win this brilliant mare looks to cement her season with a third grade one and possibly another title in the end of years awards. It is hard to look past her as the winner, drawing perfectly with her usual rider in the saddle and on the crest of a wave she will undoubtedly start favorite and so she should. However, if we are looking for anything to beat her then we do have to consider that this mile may be on the short side for her now she is older and it is just over 3 weeks since her huge effort in the BC and she may be still feeling the effects. I can’t see her being beaten but it is worth looking at which of her rivals may just have the pace to beat her over 8 furlongs.

2 Beach Towel Winning Link Stables Curtis B 124
Well, we are straight into dangers to the champion here as this four-year-old had looked so good over the mile when taking the grade one First Lady that she may just fit into the sort of horse that can beat her. She was a big disappointment in the BC beaten seven lengths by Lady Hilltopper but stalking a fast pace over a trip that could’ve been too far I think we will see her much closer today.

3 Fun Dip Jokerjoes Esquivel E 124
It would be easy to discount this mare on the fact that her best form is over sprint trips, but she holds a few more aces than some here and I find her an intriguing entry. If she can use her sprint speed at the right time, there is no doubt she has a higher max speed than most here and has won over a mile before.

4 Youthful Thoughts Greyhound Rosario J 124
It seems like every stakes race in the last few months has had a cheap claim from the free track either winning or running well. Well, this one went from a $15.000 claimer at MNR to a win at 200/1 in the Noble Damsel and whilst the fact that we are seeing so many of these types winning on the pay side doesn’t sit well with me you have to follow trends when HRP presents them. Can this mare that has been beaten 3 times in cheap free track claimers really beat the BC Champion? Well, if it happens, I may just give up trying to make sense of HRP… but it could….it really could…

5 Poetic Panther Maletto Rodriguez Jam 124
Second to Lady Hilltopper in the BC there is no doubt that this one is right in the mix again. Beat Beach Towel in the KD Ladies Turf over the mile she was then beaten by the same horse in the First Lady before that great second in the BC. I am not sure a mile is her bets trip, but she has proven she can win top class races over the trip and will be actively seeking revenge here.

6 My Princess Em Bigchief Stables Lopez P 124
In normal races a lightly raced five-year-old graded stakes winner would be right in the top three but this is a field stacked with the top fillies and mares, and she may have a bit to find. A well beaten tenth in the KD Ladies Turf, she wasn’t too far off the winner but never really got into that race. I think at this stage she is a grade two or three type and this class of grade one may just be beyond her.

7 One Spirit Nakamura Stables Bejarano R 124
She is a difficult one to weigh up as she had spent a long time in lower grade before really breaking through in her last four races. Third in the First Lady a length behind Beach Towel and Poetic Panther she had taken the huge prize on offer in the Ladies Marathon in the race before beating Lady Hilltopper, so she is clearly right up there on recent efforts. The form however as you can see from just those two races tends to flip flop between these horses, each almost taking turn for the win, so it could all come down to whose turn it is today.

8 Charleston Girl Nakamura Stables Castillo I 124
Followed a similar route to many in the stable taking out smaller races before being unleashed on the top level. She won the Mabee and the Rodeo Drive in her two starts previous to the BC so was in great form but then ran an absolute stinker in the championship race. On that last effort she has no chance with the rivals she faced that day, but she may be better suited by this mile, and I would imagine she will run much better today.

9 Antares Alydar Stables Dettori L 124
A length behind a couple of these in the KD Ladies Turf, then a neck behind Charletson Girl in the Rodeo Drive she got just reward last time when taking the Goldikova and is another than is ideally suited by the mile. Her works are strong but it will be a tossup whether she goes forwards or backward from this wide draw so she will be relying on a bit of race engine cooperation to be a top contender.

10 Piatt Royalty Stables Santana R Jr 121
With the three-year-olds rapidly catching up the older horses this filly comes right into calculations and going on her last run and win in the Valley View could well take advantage of the wide gate speed push and attempt to make all. She has a sprinters speed and proved she can run a mile, just, last time so she could well be the shock winner that we are looking for.

SUMMARY
What a race this is. A rematch between the BC one two, a few that will improve over the mile and a three-year-old peaking on form. I literally have no idea who will win this race so it may just be one to sit back and watch and savor. If I had to go for one, it would have to be my favorite horse in training at the moment in Lady Hilltopper.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES