Saturday’s $300,000
Matriarch S. (G1) may be short on quantity but is overflowing on quality.
The one mile grass test for fillies and mares is the highlight of the second day
of Hollywood Park’s Fall Turf Festival, and has attracted the two leading female
turf milers on the continent in VENTURA (Chester House) and DIAMONDRELLA (GB)
(Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]).
Ventura figures to be the favorite in the Matriarch based on her record
versus males this year. An impressive winner of the Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) two
back, the Juddmonte homebred was also a nose second to probable turf male
champion Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) earlier
in the year. Meanwhile, Diamondrella culminated a six-race winning streak with a
victory in the Just a Game S. (G1) in June. After a setback on synthetic, the
five-year-old mare rebounded to take the First Lady S. (G1) at Keeneland.
While the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) would have been a natural option for both
mares, both wound up losing in other races during the two-day fixture earlier
this month. Ventura wound up second to Informed Decision (Monarchos) when
defending her title in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), while
Diamondrella was a nondescript 11th of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. With
both returning to their preferred distance Saturday, the Matriarch promises to
be one of the more anticipated clashes of the fall.
Ventura and Diamondrella will be saddled for the first time by Humberto
Ascanio and Gary Stevens, respectively. Ascanio takes over for his recently
deceased boss, Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, while Hall of Fame jockey Stevens
replaces Angel Penna Jr.
The field’s other Grade 1 winner, RUTHERIENNE (Pulpit), won or placed in her
first five starts of the year prior to a dull seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Filly
& Mare Turf (G1) last time. The Christophe Clement charge, who was third in the
2008 Gamely S. (G1) in her only prior start on the Hollywood turf, has scored
wins in the Nassau S. (Can-G2) and Noble Damsel H. (G3) this season.
The only other major winners among the other four entrants are TUSCAN EVENING
(Ire) (Oasis Dream [GB]) and APRIL PRIDE (GB) (Falbrav [Ire]). Tuscan Evening, who
sports a three-for-three mark over the Hollywood sod, captured the Las Palmas H.
(G2) last time and the Royal Heroine Mile (G2) over the summer. April Pride, the
Matriarch’s lone sophomore, exits a victory in the Harold C. Ramser Sr. H. (G3).
The $100,000
Generous
S. (G3) for two-year-olds is the highlight of the undercard. The favorite
for the one-mile turf test is BRIDGETOWN (Speightstown), who took the Summer S.
(Can-G3) prior to his close second-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Turf (G2). Turf maiden winners WHO’S UP (Graeme Hall), ALFARABI (Yes It’s True)
and SUMMER MOVIE (Holy Bull) are among the others in the field of eight.