Curlin's Approval heads 13-horse field for revamped Matron

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A change in venue from Arlington Park and a change in surface from Polytrack to dirt should result in a far better horse race when the 80th Matron Stakes is contested Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Formerly run as the Arlington Matron at 1 1/8 miles, the stakes, along with the Chicago Handicap, was moved to Churchill this year in an effort to save money to beef up overnight purses at Arlington. And Churchill Downs obviously gained, too, landing a Grade 3, $100,000 stakes at 1 1/16 miles that drew 13 entrants, led by Curlin’s Approval, a two-time graded stakes winner this year.

The winner of the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie and Grade 2 Royal Delta this year, Curlin’s Approval, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, will seek to rebound from a fifth-place finish in the Inside Information Stakes in her last start March 18. She faces competition led by Weep No More, the upset winner of last year’s Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland; Lady Fog Horn, the 2016 Falls City Handicap winner over the Churchill strip; and Tiger Moth and Divine Elegance, who ran fourth and fifth when they last raced in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn on April 14.

A 4-year-old daughter of Curlin owned by Happy Alter and Bridlewood Farm, Curlin’s Approval comes off a two-month freshening after a dull effort when cutting back from a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race to the seven-furlong Inside Information at Gulfstream.

Alter, who oversees the filly’s training though Marty Wolfson is her official trainer of record, believes that despite her past success sprinting, the difference in pace from a route to a sprint left Curlin’s Approval struggling to keep up.

“It pulled the rug out from under her,” Alter said.

Matron, Race 10

Key Contenders

Weep No More, by Mineshaft

Last 3 Beyers: 80-79-84

◗ Makes her first start as a 4-year-old after being unraced since finishing a distant fourth behind Songbird in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga last Aug. 20, her third straight off-the-board finish after her 2016 Ashland triumph.

Lady Fog Horn, by Zavata

Last 3 Beyers: 67-82-82

◗ A two-time Indiana-bred Horse of the Year, she turned in a lackluster effort when a distant third in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland on April 21 while racing on 12 days’ rest, but she seems capable of better with more recovery time between starts.

Curlin’s Approval, by Curlin

Last 3 Beyers: 84-96-95

◗ Carries the high weight of 126 pounds, including Florida-based jockey Edgard Zayas, in a race in which all other starters tote 122.

A previous version of this article misstated Weep No More's most recent victory. It was in the Ashland, not the Kentucky Oaks.