Matriarch Stakes

The FanDuel Racing Turf Festival concludes Sunday afternoon with a trio of graded events at Del Mar, topped by an intriguing renewal of the GI Matriarch Stakes over a mile. Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) made the majority of the running in this event 12 months ago, yielding grudgingly to finish a length behind Sacred Wish (Not This Time) in third. That effort came on the back of a near-miss third in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and the grey is arguably in the same sort of form, having run...

Longshot Sacred Wish (Not This Time) just outlasted favored Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) to win the GI Matriarch Stakes and give her sire a sweep of the two graded events at Del Mar Sunday. The 4-year-old filly had finished on the board in six graded events, but the Matriarch was her first win at the graded level and her defeat of Gina Romantica put an end to trainer Chad Brown's string of four straight victories in the race. Dismissed at 12-1, Sacred Wish sat just off pacesetting Ag Bullet (Twirling...

Chad Brown stablemates Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) and Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}) took their show on the road, but the result was the same as once again Juddmonte Farms' Viadera got the best of her gutsy rival to win the GI Matriarch S. with a dramatic late surge at Del Mar Sunday. When the duo last met, Viadera was just able to get her nose in front on the line after Blowout set a torrid pace in the Sept. 25 GIII Noble Damsel S. at Belmont Park. Blowout zipped...