Sharing will be taking on tough older runners in Matriarch

DEL MAR, Calif. – Sharing, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for trainer Graham Motion, is expected to face as many as three runners from Chad Brown’s barn in the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes for older females at one mile on turf Nov. 29.

Sharing has continued her strong form this year with two wins in three starts, her lone loss an outstanding runner-up effort in the Group 1 Coronation at Royal Ascot. In her only start since then, she won the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard Sept. 4. She will be ridden by Manny Franco.

The Matriarch will be her first race against older runners. And it’s a good group of older runners, including likely three of the following four – Blowout, Newspaperofrecord, Tamahere, and Viadera – for Brown, who won the Matriarch with Off Limits in 2017 and Uni in 2018. Viadera and Blowout were one-two in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel on Sept. 26 at Belmont Park in their last starts.

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

Joel Rosario has the mount on Viadera, and on Decorated Invader in the Hollywood Derby, according to his agent, Ron Anderson.

Juliet Foxtrot, winner of the Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard Oct. 3, is expected to represent Brad Cox in the Matriarch. She was third in the Matriarch last year.

The local runners are headed by Richard Mandella-trained Jolie Olimpica, idle since finishing second in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on July 11 at Keeneland, and Maxim Rate, who has won three of her last four starts, most recently the Grade 2 Goldikova at Santa Anita, for Simon Callaghan.

In addition to Juliet Foxtrot, Cox – who won four Breeders’ Cup races to put himself in position to win his first Eclipse Award as champion trainer – is expected to run Arklow in Grade 2, $200,000 Hollywood Turf Cup going 1 1/2 miles on Friday, and Royal Prince in the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds at one mile on turf on closing day, Nov. 29

Arklow was sixth earlier this month in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Royal Prince comes off a maiden win at Keeneland in his second start Oct. 2. Both are scheduled to be ridden by Rosario, who will be at Del Mar the entire final week, beginning Thanksgiving Day.