Sharing takes on older rivals in deep Matriarch Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – Sharing has had a lot thrown at her in her brief career, including frequent travel, one significant overseas journey, and occasional battles with problem feet, but she’s come out ahead of the game more often than not, including a victory last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

On Sunday at Del Mar, she’ll face another hurdle when she takes on elders for the first time in the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes, highlight of a 10-race card that closes what has been a sensational final week of racing, and a blockbuster meet overall.

The Matriarch, at one mile on turf, drew nine runners, including a three-headed monster – Blowout, Viadera, and Tamahere – trained by Chad Brown, as well as Juliet Foxtrot for Brad Cox. Brown and Cox, like Sharing’s trainer, Graham Motion, sent strong contingents to Del Mar for the stakes-filled turf festival, and are hoping to end on a high note.

They take on locals Bodhicitta, Maxim Rate, Mucho Unusual, and She’s Our Charm.

Motion is going for his third win in the Matriarch, following wins with Miss Temple City here in 2016 and Gypsy’s Warning at Hollywood Park in 2010.

Sharing has raced three times this year, winning twice, both at Churchill Downs, most recently in the Grade 2 Edgewood on the Kentucky Oaks undercard Sept. 4. The Edgewood followed perhaps her best effort to date, a second-place finish in the Group 1 Coronation at Royal Ascot. All that has come while negotiating persistent heel bruising, which delayed her work pattern following the Edgewood.

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“It’s been a problem, particularly in her left front,” Motion said from his Fair Hill training center in Maryland.

At the suggestion of Aron Wellman, who runs the Eclipse Thoroughbred Stable partnership which co-owns Sharing, noted farrier Ian McKinlay was brought in this year to work on Sharing.

“He’s really helped us,” Motion said.

As forward as she was at 2, Motion said Sharing is better this year.

“I feel like she’s matured,” he said. “She worked on her own in her last breeze, and that’s something we wouldn’t have been able to do earlier this year. She’s a pro. A pleasure to be around, like her mom.”

Sharing is out of Shared Account, who won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf for Motion.

Brown is seeking his third Matriarch victory in the last four years, following wins by Uni in 2018 and Off Limits in 2017.

Both Viadera and Blowout ran most recently in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont Park on Sept. 26, with Viadera getting up in the closing strides to just beat her stablemate after Blowout set a wicked early pace of 22.17 seconds for the quarter and 44.85 seconds for the half in the one-mile race.

“They’re very close in ability,” Brown said. “You could argue Blowout ran the better race last time. She set insane fractions and almost held on.”

Tamahere, like Sharing, is a 3-year-old taking on elders. Both receive a three-pound (120 vs. 123) weight break. Tamahere won the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont last month in her first start since arriving from her native France.

“She had trained like potentially a very, very good horse, and she didn’t disappoint,” Brown said. “Looking for her to step up against older horses.”

Brown said Tamahere was originally set to stay in her age division and run in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs earlier this month, but those plans changed when the Mrs. Revere was moved to the dirt, which preceded Churchill Downs abandoning grass racing the remainder of the meet.

“She’s been training well enough that I think she’ll be competitive,” Brown said.

Juliet Foxtrot, third in this race last year, won the Grade 3 Gallorette on yielding turf on the Preakness undercard Oct. 3 last time out. Her best effort this year was a third in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley, won by Rushing Fall, and if she emulates that effort she’ll be a major player.

The progressive Maxim Rate might be the best of the locals. A two-time winner on this course, she has been first or second in all five of her starts this year and most recently won the Grade 2 Goldikova going a mile at Santa Anita Oct. 25.

The Matriarch is race 9 on the 10-race card, which begins at noon Pacific. The supporting feature, race 7, is the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds going one mile on turf. Cox has Royal Prince and Motion sends out Wootton Asset against locals, including Big Fish and Caisson.