Regal Glory Goes for the Second Matriarch at Del Mar

Coach Chad Brown can achieve something with regal glory that hasn’t been done since the days of Charlie Whittingham 30 years ago: win consecutive versions of Matriarch Stakes (G1T) with the same horse. Because Matriarch at Del Mar expected to be Regal Glory’s final race, Brown won’t be able to repeat Whittingham’s peat triple with Perfect from 1991-93. But he could have outdone Whittingham by scoring a brace without having to regularly hit the Southern California circuit.

Brown transports horses into California with tactical precision, and nowhere is that more evident than in Matriarch. He won four of the last five editions of the race, with turn off limit 2017 champion University 2018, avenue in 2020 and Regal Glory in 2021. He brings Regal Glory back this year, along with Dolce Zel .

Regal Glory will face a whole new cast in Matriarch December 4. Last year, she won 2 1/2 lengths in the six-man field; This year, the grass-court one-mile race for those aged 3 and up attracted 10 people. ‘s 6-year-old mixed-race Kentucky daughter Animal Kingdom compiled 11 bet wins spread across seven different racetracks in five states. Brown has shepherded her entire career, both as breeder Paul Pompa Jr. race with her and then, after Pompa’s death, after Peter Brant bought her at auction for $925,000.

While Regal Glory is nearing the end of a long career, Dolce Zel has a promising future. At just 3 years old, she already has two wins, one second and two thirds in five starts in the US for Team Brown. She captured Lake George Stakes (G3T) on July 22 at Saratoga by a nose on Brown-train Brilliant victory after getting hit from both sides at the start and then running into traffic later in the one-mile race.

“She passed, and after she passed, she put her head down and fought someone else,” says equestrian Irad Ortiz Jr. track Lake George said. Ortiz is riding on a big bet card at the Aqueduct on December 3, including a mount on White Abarrio in the Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets (G1). The rider is expected to travel to California to team up with Dolce Zel, who drew post 9, in the Matriarch and named four other horses on the Del Mar card.

Another 3-year-old will go up against the elders in the Matriarch and deliver excellent proofs, especially in this course. Pizza Bianca , coached by Christophe Clement and based in the East, has started at Del Mar once before, when she won the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Minor (G1T). In the four starts since then, she has added Hilltop Stakes at Racecourse Pimlico and travel to Royal Ascot, where she competed in Coronation Stocks (G1). Umberto Rispoli will ride Pizza Bianca (track 8) for the first time.

Locals with good Del Mar form include French Avenue winner John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) in the summer meeting and Bipartisan and Gold for kittens , who ran a two in the Kathryn Crosby Stock on 12 November, Juan Hernandez, the top equestrian at the current meeting, rode the Avenue de France and Bipartisanship in those races, and he tied bundle with Avenue de France, who took the position outside, for coach Leonard Powell. Joe Bravo will ride Bipartisan for coach Graham Motion from the railroad, while coach John Sadler names Hector Berrios on Gold for Kitten (track 4).

Bill Mott is sending Wakanaka . The 4-year-old Irish-born girl started her career in Italy, where she won a group 3 event. She has started seven times this year in North America for Mott, winning the Dance Smartly Stakes ( G2T) at Honeysuckle and Mint Gaming Hall’s Fall Harvest Bet, the last race on the Breeders’ Cup card on November 5 at Keeneland. Joel Rosario rode Wakanaka in The Fall Harvest and will return to the ship from 7th place.

Rounding the field is English rose (Victor Espinoza, post 2), most recently second in Goldikova Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita . Park; Eddie’s New Dream (Mario Gutierrez, post 3), this year’s two-time bet winner at the California-bred company; and hamwood flyer (Mike Smith, post 5), winner of the October 9 Swingtime Stakes in Santa Anita.