Fresh off the heels of Annals of Time's eye-catching win in Saturday's GI Hollywood Derby, Miss Temple City (Temple City) provided her sire a second win at the highest level at Del Mar this weekend, with a dramatic nose tally in Sunday's GI Matriarch S.
Most recently fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 5 at Santa Anita, Miss Temple City was bet down to 8-5 in this closing day feature to bag her third Grade I of the season. She came away well from the 11-hole to sit third while three-wide on the clubhouse turn. Tracking the speed of longshot Stays in Vegas (City Zip) through a pedestrian pace of :23.51 and :48.04, the favorite got closer nearing the top of the straightaway while three-deep again as the tempo quickened. The leader held gamely until just inside the sixteenth pole, where Miss Temple City surged by before holding off the flying Roca Rojo (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}) by a whisker.
“I had a little bit of a sick feeling in my stomach when they hit the wire,” winning trainer Graham Motion revealed. “I was a little bit worried at the top of the stretch as well. I think we were a little too cute with her earlier in the year trying to get her covered up and take too much of a hold on her. She's got a lot of natural speed and the key is to get her settled. Edgar [Prado] figured that out the first time he rode her. It's really gratifying to end the year this way. Hopefully we'll be here at this time of year next year.”
Breaking through with a win over males in the GI Maker's 46 Mile to start her 4-year-old campaign Apr. 15, Miss Temple City followed that up with a pair of fourth-place efforts in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. June 15 at Royal Ascot and GI Diana S. July 23 at Saratoga. Fifth in the GII Ballston Spa S. Aug. 27, she returned to Keeneland and conquered the boys again in a loaded GI Shadwell Turf Mile Oct. 8. She finished within 2 1/4 lengths of Tourist (Tiznow) in the Breeders' Cup Mile last time.
Prado has been aboard Miss Temple City in her three most recent starts. “The trick with her is to get her to settle early,” he said. “We got a good spot early, and in the first eighth of a mile, she was relaxed. She was just going easy. We turned for home and I asked and she was there. I had some extra and I needed it. She's a special horse.”
Pedigree Note:
Miss Temple City is a full-sister to GIII Sweetest Chant S. heroine Pricedtoperfection, a $230,000 OBSAPR buy who most recently finished third in the GIII Commonwealth Oaks Sept. 24; and has an unplaced 2-year-old half-sister named Five Each Way (Bullet Train {GB}). Her dam Glittering Tax sold for $275,000 at last term's Fasig-Tipton November sale carrying a foal by Verrazano. She gave birth to that Verrazano filly Apr. 18 and was bred back to Medaglia d'Oro. Miss Temple City is one of three Grade I winners for her young sire; the others are GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile winner Bolo and GI Hollywood Derby hero Annals of Time.
Sunday, Del Mar
MATRIARCH S.-GI, $302,070, DMR, 12-4, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.16, fm.
1–MISS TEMPLE CITY, 123, f, 4, by Temple City
1st Dam: Glittering Tax (SP), by Artax
2nd Dam: Nancy's Glitter, by Glitterman
3rd Dam: Starfire Voyage, by Fire Dancer
($10,000 RNA Ylg '13 KEEJAN). O-The Club Racing LLC, Needle
In A Haystack, LLC & Sagamore Farm; B-Bobfeld Bloodstock
(KY); T-H. Graham Motion; J-Edgar S. Prado. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 16-6-3-2, $1,453,038.[bullet ad=”feld-fambred”][bullet ad=”feld-theclub-itsnosecret”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]*Full to Pricedtoperfection,
GSW, $268,135. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Roca Rojo (Ire), 123, f, 4, Strategic Prince (GB)–Lucy
Diamonds (Ire), by Orpen. O-Sheep Pond Partners, Newport
Stables LLC & Bradley Thoroughbreds; B-Mr Tommy Murphy
(IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]3–Stays in Vegas, 120, f, 3, City Zip–Double Jackpot, by Broken
Vow. ($40,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Jungle Racing LLC, KMN
Racing LLC & LNJ Foxwoods; B-John McCormack (KY); T-Jerry
Hollendorfer. $36,000.[bullet ad=”carabloodstock-graduate”]Margins: NO, HD, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.60, 5.10, 15.80.
Also Ran: Mexican Gold, Zindaya, Time and Motion, Tiz a Kiss, Prize Exhibit (GB), Nancy From Nairobi (GB), Kitcat (Chi), Sobradora Inc (Arg). Scratched: Decked Out.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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