Miss Temple City tunes up for Matriarch with five-furlong work
DEL MAR, Calif. – Miss Temple City tuned up for the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes on Dec. 4 at Del Mar on Saturday with a five-furlong workout on the turf in 1:02.40.
Assistant trainer Alice Clapham, who was aboard during the workout, said Miss Temple City continues to hold her form during a campaign that has seen her race in Kentucky, New York, California, and at Royal Ascot.
“She’s done everything great,” Clapham said. “After the Breeders’ Cup, we just gave her an easy week before we started up.”
Clapham said her boss, trainer Graham Motion, just wanted Miss Temple City “to have a little blow” on Saturday morning. With Clapham aboard, Miss Temple City was always going well within herself while working alone around orange cones, known as dogs, that were placed midway out from the inner rail to protect the inside part of the course. Her time was the best of four at the distance.
Miss Temple City most recently finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. She has won twice this year, both times against males, in the Makers Mark 46 Mile and the Shadwell Mile, both at Keeneland. The Matriarch, at one mile, is for older females. Edgar Prado has the mount in the Matriarch.
Miss Temple City will get time off after the Matriarch, but she will remain in training next year at age 5, according to her breeder and co-owner, Bob Feld.
“She’ll come back at Keeneland, and then we’ll look at Royal Ascot for the third straight year,” Feld said Saturday morning. “Hopefully the third time will be the charm. We want to win there as much as Graham does. And then after that we’ll look to bring her back here for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Del Mar hosts the Breeders’ Cup for the first time in 2017.
Also working Saturday on turf was Isotherm, in town for the Grade 1, $300,000 Hollywood Derby next Saturday. He went a half-mile in 50.80 seconds for trainer George Weaver.
On dirt, Grade 1 FrontRunner winner Gormley worked a half-mile in 50.20 seconds for trainer John Shirreffs.
