Filimbi ships in search of Grade 1 win in Matriarch
DEL MAR, Calif. – What did Filimbi do on her summer vacation? Get ready to head to California in the fall, that’s what.
After Filimbi was given time off over the summer, trainer Bill Mott circled the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday as the major year-end goal. It’s an important race for Filimbi. She has been second twice in Grade 1 races and third once, but a victory at this level has been elusive.
“We really want to win a Grade 1 with her,” said Rodolphe Brisset, Mott’s assistant. “She deserves a Grade 1. This is her last chance this year to get a Grade 1.”
Filimbi was second to Tepin in the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day, then was freshened for her planned attack on the Matriarch. She tuned up with a victory in a top-level allowance Nov. 1 at Belmont.
“In the Just a Game, she got into a little trouble at the quarter pole,” said Brisset. “I’m not saying she would have beat Tepin because look how good Tepin has become, but she ran very well.”
The Matriarch is an outstanding gambling race with no standout favorite and several worthy contenders. In addition to Filimbi, several runners shipped in from out of town, including Hard Not to Like and Stellar Path for trainer Christophe Clement, Recepta for Jimmy Toner, Olorda for Chad Brown, and She’s Not Here for Vicki Oliver.
The invaders will face a solid local cast that includes Baruta, Prize Exhibit, and Queen of The Sand, the runner-up in this race last year.
Fifteen were entered, but only 14 can run. Alexis Tangier is the lone also-eligible.
The Matriarch is race 8 on a nine-race card that will close out the second fall meeting here since Hollywood Park closed. There will be mandatory payouts in wagers such as the pick six and Super Hi 5.
The Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds on turf also will be run Sunday.
First post is 12:30 p.m. Pacific, and the Matriarch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Key contenders
Filimbi (Last 3 Beyers: 98-103-96)
She proved last year she could ship to California and perform well, taking the Grade 2 Goldikova at Santa Anita.
She has made just four starts this year, so she’s fresh, and the distance seems right in her wheelhouse. She is 6 for 10 at a mile and never has finished out of the money.
“She’s pretty versatile – a mile, a mile and a sixteenth, a mile and an eighth – but a mile is probably her best distance,” said Brisset.
Hard Not to Like (Last 3 Beyers: 87-103-98)
This is her third trip this year to California. She won the Grade 1 Gamely at Santa Anita in May but disappointed when eighth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita last time out Sept. 26.
John Velazquez, who rode her to victory in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga, will be in town for the mount.
She’s Not Here (Last 3 Beyers: 86-92-92)
She was the star of the summer here with a pair of victories, including in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon. She finished far back in the Grade 1 First Lady in her lone start since, but that was on soft ground, and she is clearly superior on a firm surface.
Crowley’s Law (Last 3 Beyers: 93-95-95)
She was a distant second to Tepin in the First Lady, then won a minor stakes at Woodbine last time out.
She’s at the end of an ambitious year that already has seen her run at seven tracks in four different countries, but she has impressed in her training since arriving here.
Queen of The Sand (Last 3 Beyers: 92-90-85)
A course specialist, she has finished first or second in 5 of 6 starts here, most recently a second Nov. 1 in the Grade 2 Goldikova.
Baruta (Last 3 Beyers: 93-75-84)
She might be best as a late-running sprinter, but she has won going two turns, and she comes off the best race of her career in the Grade 3 Maddy. Her speed makes her the one to catch.