In what might be the last running of the Grade 1, $250,000
Matriarch
on Sunday, Better Lucky will attempt to become only the second horse to win
multiple editions of Hollywood Park’s premier grass stakes for fillies and mares
during its Fall Meet.
Inaugurated in 1981, the Matriarch was the domain of Hall of Fame mare
Flawlessly from 1991 through 1993 when it was contested at nine furlongs. This
year’s renewal at one mile will bring down the curtain at Hollywood’s final Fall
Turf Festival.
Limited to just four outings since upsetting the 2012 Matriarch at odds of
35-1, Better Lucky was back in the winner’s circle following the October 5 First
Lady at Keeneland. Conducted during a driving rainstorm over yielding ground,
the daughter of Ghostzapper rallied from more than nine lengths back to gamely
prevail by a head over arch-rival Dayatthespa.
Dayattthespa, whose two victories this season have come in New York-bred
stakes, will attempt to make amends for a disappointing fifth in last year’s
Matriarch. Favored at 8-5 that day, she mysteriously jumped a shadow racing down
the backside and was never able to recover sufficiently to make a serious bid.
The 5-2 morning line favorite in the Matriatch is Tiz Flirtatious, who
finished second by a length to Better Lucky in last year’s race. The Marty Jones
trainee developed into the circuit’s divisional leader this term with wins in
the Santa Ana, John C, Mabee, and Rodeo Drive, but found the European contingent
a little too tough in the Breeders’ Cup Filly Mare Turf, where she finished two
lengths sixth in a field of 10.
Other leading contenders among the older fillies include Egg Drop, who enters
off back-to-back, photo-finish wins in the Yellow Ribbon Handicap and Goldikova,
and the East Coast-based Pianist, winner this season of the Gallorette Handicap
at Pimlico and Athenia at Belmont Park.
Leading three-year-old contenders in the Matriarch include Discreet Marq, a
four-time stakes winner this year including the Del Mar Oaks, and Wishing Gate,
who book-ended a close second in the Del Mar Oaks with victories in the San
Clemente Handicap and Autumn Miss.
Longshots My Gi Gi and Stormy Lucy complete the field.
Admiral Kitten, who has lost more close ones than not this season, is the 5-2
early choice in the Grade 1, $250,000
Hollywood
Derby over 1 1/4 miles on turf. Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s homebred colt was an
impressive winner of the Secretariat at Arlington Park over the summer, but has
been unlucky in settling for second money in such races as the Jamaica Handicap,
American Derby, Arlington Classic and American Turf.
Also invading from the east is the Todd Pletcher-trained Jack Milton, who has
also had to frequently settle for minor awards. After opening his stakes ledger
with a victory in the Transylvania at Keeneland last April, the War Front colt
has collected third money in four straight stakes: the Penn Mile, Virginia
Derby, Secretariat and Jamaica.
Five Hollywood Derby candidates last faced each other in the November 1
Twilight Derby at Santa Anita. That race’s winner, Rookie Sensation, lived up to
his moniker by rallying between rivals with an explosive kick to win by a length
in his stakes debut.
Multiple stakes winner Gervinho, an even third in the Twilight Derby, is also
part of the cast along with that race’s pacesetter Dry Summer and La Jolla
Handicap winner Dice Flavor.
Also among the field of 10 are Team Valor’s Infinite Magic, who won the
American Derby and ran second in the Del Mar Derby prior to a last-place finish
in the Hawthorne Derby over extremely soft ground he seemingly did not handle.
The lone foreign invader, Juddmonte homebred Seek Again, was a three-time
winner in England who finished a solid fifth in the prestigous Cambridgshire
Handicap at Newmarket in late September.
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