The $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar on Sunday features a field of 10 fillies and mares traveling a mile on turf on closing day of the Bing Crosby fall meet.
The field includes several East Coast invaders taking on locals that include the slight 5-2 morning-line favorite Ag Bullet. Chad Brown sends out 3-1 second choice Segesta in her first race on the West Coast.
Ag Bullet, trained by Richard Baltas, is the class of the field and will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazuez. The Twirling Candy 5-year-old enters off a gritty second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and a third in last year’s Matriarch.
With another Grade 1 win in the Jaipur Stakes and nearly $3 million earned, she’s stretching out from sprints and if she handles the added distance, she’ll be tough to beat.
Segesta may have only one win in five starts this year (Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park), but the 4-year-old filly has run second in her last two starts, the Ladies Turf Stakes (G3) at Kentucky Downs and the First Lady Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 4.
Her closing style and 108 speed figure last out suggest upside at a mile, but the wide draw into post 9 and cross-country trip could test her. She is very intriguing for exactas.
Medoro is a consistent 4-year-old by Honor Code, who loves Del Mar (two wins and never off the board). She won the Osunitas Stakes in July and was a sharp third in the Goldikova Stakes (G3) last out. She’s 11-5-3-3 lifetime and figures to stalk the pace effectively in a field lacking dominant speed. A top local threat at 6-1.
Breath Away shipped west off a breakthrough Dance Smartly Stakes (G2) win at Woodbine on Oct. 5, rallying past a strong field after prior allowance scores and then was third in the Goldikova last out. Kazushi Kimura rides for Miguel Clement.
French-bred Antifona is an allowance winner over this course and makes her second start of the year for trainer Vladimir Cerin. She is more of a longshot for exotics.
Peter Eurton’s other runner Vibez is peaking at the right time, having captured the Swingtime Stakes on Oct. 13 at Santa Anita and an allowance at Del Mar in late August.
Spicybug, trained by Michael McCarthy, enters off a close second to Vibez in that Del Mar allowance, bouncing back from a dull return and boasting a prior win fresh. She is a solid underneath play at 15-1.
East Coast invader Ozara arrives as a second runner for Clement and dominated the Ballston Spa Stakes (G2) at Saratoga on Aug. 8 after the De La Rose Stakes win there in July. The 4-year-old Lope de Vega filly’s 4-for-7 record this year screams upside, and her ability to close from off the pace makes her a prime win candidate in a race projecting moderate early fractions.
The H. Graham Motion-trained Heredia mare ships from Maryland with mixed recent results, but she did win the Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G2) here before a flat sixth in the First Lady. Her seven career wins and tactical versatility suit the mile, but she’ll need to rediscover her summer sharpness to contend; use in keys.
The speedy Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Not This Time filly In Our Time hunts her first stakes win after a strong second in the Franklin Stakes (G2) at Keeneland last out. Her front-running tactics could wire this if unchallenged early, but the outside post demands a clean break; she is a high-risk, high-reward candidate at 8-1.
The picks: 1 Ag Bullet 2 Segesta 3 Medoro
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
