Matareya | Horse Racing Free Tips

All Matareya in Four-Horse Acorn After Echo Zulu Scratched at Gate

ELMONT, NY – With the late-arriving crowd still filing in as John Imbriale announced champion Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) as a stunning late scratch at the gate, Godolphin homebred Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) showed no mercy on her three remaining rivals going a one-turn mile in Saturday's GI Acorn S. at Belmont Park.

Matareya broke like a shot beneath Flavien Prat and led through an opening quarter in an easy :23.39. In cruise control and increasing her advantage as the quartet hit the quarter pole, Matareya was handridden down the stretch to stay perfect in four starts in 2022. It was 6 1/4 lengths back to Divine Huntress (Divining Rod) in second; Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro) was third.

Kicking off her sophomore campaign with an allowance win at Fair Grounds Feb. 26, Matareya added Keeneland's GIII Beaumont S. Apr. 10 and Churchill's GII Eight Belles S. May 6. Her latter two tries were both going seven furlongs.

After airing first out at Ellis last August, her juvenile campaign also included a dead-heat fifth-place finish in last fall's GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland and a second-place finish in the Fern Creek S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 27.

“It was unfortunate what happened right before the race with the scratch [of Echo Zulu], and a little unusual, but Matareya handled it all and ran her race,” said winning trainer Brad Cox, also responsible for brilliant 2018 Acorn winner Monomoy Girl. “She ran great and we're really proud of her. I was a little concerned running her back in this spot so soon after the Eight Belles, but she was doing so great we decided to come here and she rose to the occasion.”

The GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 6 will be next.

“I think this sets her up well for the Test next,” Cox said. “Now she's a Grade I winner and this filly deserves it. It's great to win a Grade I on Belmont Day and in New York. It's always great to win a Grade I anywhere.”

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu suffered her first career defeat finishing fourth last time in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Jockey Joel Rosario said that something felt amiss during the post parade.

“It took a little while to warm up,” Rosario said. “She looked a little bit off and they decided to scratch her.”

Dr. Anthony Verderosa, Director of NYRA Veterinarians, added, “The filly was lame in her left front.”

Pedigree Notes:

Matareya becomes the fourth Grade I winner for her late sire Pioneerof the Nile. This is the 15th Grade I winner for broodmare sire Bernardini. Matareya's Grade III-winning dam is a daughter of Golden Velvet, who was stakes-placed in France before adding a pair of graded victories and a runner-up effort in the GI Ogden Phipps H. Golden Velvet is a daughter of Harbor View Farm's outstanding turfer Caress, who was purchased by John Ferguson on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed's operation for $3.1 million at the 2000 Keeneland November Sale a handful of months after the mare foaled a Pulpit colt. That offspring, Sky Mesa ($750,000 KEESEP yearling), was raced by John Oxley to a victory in the GI Hopeful S. Caress is also the dam of Velvety (Bernardini), whose son Maxfield (Street Sense) closed out his career victoriously in the GI Clark H. and now stands at Darley at Jonabell. Innovative Idea is the dam of the unraced 2-year-old filly Methodology (Uncle Mo), a yearling colt by the same stallion and visited him once again last season.

Saturday, Belmont Park
ACORN S.-GI, $465,000, Belmont, 6-11, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:35.77, ft.
1–MATAREYA, 120, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
                1st Dam: Innovative Idea (GSW, $229,343), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Golden Velvet, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Caress, by Storm Cat
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 8-5-2-0, $946,867.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
2–Divine Huntress, 118, f, 3, by Divining Rod
                1st Dam: Thrill Seeker, by Housebuster
                2nd Dam: Georgia K., by Horatius
                3rd Dam: Pleasure Point, by Honest Pleasure
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. ($16,000 RNA Ylg '20 EASOCT). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred
Partners & Long Valley Stables, LLC; B-Dr. & Mrs. Thomas
Bowman, Ricky L. Buckley & Joshua Dreiband (MD); T-H.
Graham Motion. $100,000.
3–Dream Lith, 120, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro
                1st Dam: Elle Sueno, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Mi Sueno, by Pulpit
                3rd Dam: Madcap Escapade, by Hennessy
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($590,000 RNA Wlg '19 FTKNOV).
O-Cypress Creek Equine & Arnold Bennewith; B-Southern
Equine Stables, LLC (KY); T-Robertino Diodoro. $60,000.
Margins: 6 1/4, 5HF, 16. Odds: 0.30, 6.60, 10.40.
Also Ran: Inventing. Scratched: Echo Zulu.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Matareya Makes It Three in a Row in Eight Belles

Godolphin's progressive Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) parlayed a perfect inside trip into a facile success in Friday's $500,000 GII Eight Belles S. at Churchill Downs, the third winner of the event in the last six years for trainer Brad Cox.

The homebred filly was away without incident and raced worse than centerfield through the opening exchanges, as Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) set what appeared to be a strong early tempo in advance of Marissa's Lady (Violence). Racing well off the rail down the chute, Matareya was deftly maneuvered by Flavien Prat to her inside, across the heels of Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) and Ain't Easy (Into Mischief) and was guided down onto the fence linking up with the track proper. Asked for a bit more acceleration approaching the half-mile marker, Matareya was all the way into third and onto the back of the pacesetter while in hand for the run around the turn. Patiently handled while scraping the paint nearing the quarter pole, Matareya pushed away from the rail and into the two path to deliver her challenge in upper stretch. Pretty Birdie did everything in her power to match strides, but Matareya overtook her for good entering the final eighth of a mile and inched clear. Wicked Halo rallied for third.

“She broke well but I just got outrun in the first part,” said Prat. “Then I took a chance going to the inside where there were good horses to follow. Then we had a fair pace, was traveling well and when I tipped her out, she was there for me. I thought it was a really good run for her.”

Cox indicated the winner would stretch out to Belmont's one-turn mile for the June 11 GI Acorn S., where she could face her Grade I-winning stablemate Juju's Map (Liam's Map), an allowance winner earlier Friday beneath the Twin Spires.

“The Acorn's going to be interesting five weeks from now. Both are good fillies,” the conditioner said. “This filly is probably going to do her best going around one turn. Juju's Map definitely can handle two turns. At some point, they're going to sort themselves out, and if they meet up in the Acorn, I don't know.”

A distant runner-up to Secret Oath (Arrogate) in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance Dec. 31, Matareya aired by 5 1/4 lengths when cut back to six furlongs at the Fair Grounds Feb. 26 and most recently pummeled her rivals in the GIII Beaumont S. over an extended seven furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 10.

Pedigree Notes:

Matareya's Grade III-winning dam is a daughter of Golden Velvet, who was stakes-placed in France for Andre Fabre before adding a pair of graded victories and a runner-up effort in the GI Ogden Phipps H. once repatriated for Kiaran McLaughlin.

Golden Velvet was a daughter of Harbor View Farm's outstanding turf distaffer Caress, who was purchased by John Ferguson for $3.1 million at the 2000 Keeneland November Sale a handful of months after the mare foaled a Pulpit colt. That offspring, Sky Mesa, was raced by John Oxley to a victories in the GI Hopeful S. and GII Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, but lost any shot at a championship when scratched on the eve of the 2002 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Caress is also the dam of MGSP Monthir (Gulch), a sire of some note in South America; and of Velvety (Bernardini), whose son Maxfield (Street Sense) closed out his career victoriously in the GI Clark H. and now stands at Darley at Jonabell.

Innovative Idea is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Methodology (Uncle Mo), a yearling colt by the same stallion and visited him once again last season.

Friday, Churchill Downs
EIGHT BELLES S. PRESENTED BY TWINSPIRES-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-6, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:21.86, ft.
1–MATAREYA, 120, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
                1st Dam: Innovative Idea (GSW, $229,343), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Golden Velvet, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Caress, by Storm Cat
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $297,600. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 7-4-2-0, $671,867. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pretty Birdie, 120, f, 3, Bird Song–Bird Sense, by Street Sense. O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables LLC (KY); T-Norm W. Casse. $96,000.
3–Wicked Halo, 120, f, 3, Gun Runner–Just Wicked, by Tapit. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $48,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2, 4HF. Odds: 1.00, 7.70, 12.80.
Also Ran: Marissa's Lady, Sweet Dani Girl, Gerrymander, Awake At Midnyte, Lac Vieux Desert, Ain't Easy. Scratched: Sweet as Pie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Pioneerof the Nile’s Matareya Cruises in Beaumont

Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile), bet hard throughout, ran to the money in Sunday's GIII Beaumont S. at Keeneland, picking up her first stakes win with a daylight romp against six overmatched rivals.

Debuting with a smooth 4 1/2-length wire-to-wire score while geared down late Aug. 20 at Ellis, the homebred disappointed a bit when flattening out to fifth in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. on this strip Oct. 8. Finishing second as the favorite in the Fern Creek S. Nov. 27 at Churchill, the bay was a distant runner-up to sensation Secret Oath (Arrogate) in an Oaklawn allowance on New Year's Eve before putting forth a career-best 91 Beyer when rolling home by 5 1/4 lengths over allowance company Feb. 26 at Fair Grounds.

Hammered down to a smidge above even-money returning to graded stakes waters here, Matareya broke sweetly from her outside draw under Flavien Prat and led in the opening strides before deferring to rail-drawn Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) leaving the chute and heading onto the backstretch. Settling off that rival through a reasonable :22.87 quarter, the chalk began to put more pressure on the pacesetter midway around the turn and neared the stretch menacingly as Prat looked behind him for late runners. Taking control shortly after straightening for home, Matareya drew off powerfully in the final furlong, cruising past the wire 8 1/2 lengths to the good of Radio Days (Gun Runner).

“She broke really well and rated nice,” said Prat. “I was on cruise control all the way around. [Trainer] Brad [Cox] told me this morning that he really liked her, and he was right.”

Asked the key to Matareya's blossoming as a 3-year-old, Cox said, “I'd have to say the cutback [in distance of her races]. We were hoping she'd go long. She trained like she would. Flavien made the comment that he didn't see why she wouldn't. But she's kind of shown us she enjoys the cutback, so we'll probably stick to one turn for now.”

“It's huge for the pedigree,” Cox added of the win. “And huge for the broodmare band at Godolphin, which is one of the best in the world. It was a big win, so we'll let the dust settle and see how she comes out of it, but [the GII Eight Belles S. and GI Test S.] are obviously races we'll look forward to and try to work back from, and–who knows?–maybe try to get her to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint here at Keeneland this fall.”

Pedigree Notes:
With the victory, Matareya becomes the 43rd stakes winner and 20th graded stakes winner for star sire Pioneerof the Nile, who died at age 13 in 2019. From the final crop of that stallion, she is the second foal to race out of Godolphin's Grade III winner Innovative Idea, a half-sister to GSW Lucullan (Hard Spun) out of MGSW/GISP Golden Velvet (Seeking the Gold), herself a half-sister to GISW and sire Sky Mesa (Pulpit) out of MGSW Caress (Storm Cat). Innovative Idea is responsible for a juvenile Uncle Mo filly and foaled a colt by the same sire last season before returning to the Ashford superstar once more.

Sunday, Keeneland
BEAUMONT S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT-GIII, $400,000, Keeneland, 4-10, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:27.55, ft.
1–MATAREYA, 118, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
                1st Dam: Innovative Idea (GSW, $229,343), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Golden Velvet, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Caress, by Storm Cat
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $241,800. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, $374,267. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Radio Days, 118, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky Mesa. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Joseph Allen LLC; B-Hinkle Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $78,000.
3–Reagan's Decision, 118, f, 3, Unified–Twisted Decision, by Old Fashioned. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV). O-Lael Stables; B-Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) & Parker Place Breeding (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $39,000.
Margins: 8HF, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.10, 3.40, 16.00.
Also Ran: Lady Scarlet, Majestic d'Oro, Gina Romantica, Chi Town Lady.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Diverse Cast Converges in Beaumont

A field of seven sophomore fillies who made their most recent starts in Florida, New York, Kentucky and Louisiana converge at Keeneland for Sunday's GIII Beaumont S. Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) was second in last November's Fern Creek S. at Churchill Downs to the now five-for-six Marissa's Lady (Violence) and then completed the exacta (albeit 8 1/4 lengths back) behind leading GI Kentucky Oaks candidate Secret Oath (Arrogate) in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance on New Year's Eve. She most recently shortened back up to a sprint to air in a Fair Grounds optional claimer Feb. 26, good for a field's best 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Third that day was re-opposing Reagan's Decision (Unified).

On the opposite end of the speed figure spectrum is Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), who earned just a 64 Beyer for her successful Tampa unveiling Mar. 12. That number fails to tell the whole story, however. A $1,025,000 KEESEP purchase by Peter Brant and conditioned by Chad Brown, the half-sister to GISW Gift Box (Twirling Candy) and MGSWs Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast) and Special Forces (Candy Ride {Arg}) was very visually impressive rallying wide on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard and justifying 9-10 favoritism by 1 1/4 lengths.

Heading up the last-seen-at-Aqueduct contingent are Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) and Radio Days (Gun Runner). The former was a gutsy $150,000 claim by trainer Mike Maker, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher off of Matareya's conditioner Brad Cox out of a maiden-breaking effort at Churchill in November. She took an Oaklawn optional claimer two starts later Feb. 26, and added the Big A's Cicada S. by open lengths Mar. 19.

Joe Allen, Peter Brant's cousin, also gets in on the action with $750,000 September pick-up Radio Days. The dark bay at one point looked like Shug McGaughey's top GI Kentucky Oaks hopeful off a two-for-two start to her career, including a Dec. 2 Aqueduct optional claiming romp that earned her 'TDN Rising Star' status. Second at odds-on in the GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream going this distance Feb. 5, she cuts back after fading to fourth at 1-2 in the mile-long Busher S. back in Ozone Park Mar. 5.

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