This Thanksgiving weekend will be a memorable one as some of the most talented racehorses will be running in the American Graded Stakes meet. The Matriarch Stakes, which is especially regarded by fans of the sport, is scheduled
to take place at Hollywood Park on Saturday the 27th of November 2010 at 2.35 a.m. GMT. The Grade I race will run over a distance of 1 mile on a turf surface and open for fillies and mares of age three and above. What will make this event a must
watch is the fact that it will be featuring the European racehorse Special Duty, the Criquette Head-Maarek trained filly.
If Special Duty manages to take over the field on Saturday, Juddmonte Farms will bag its seventh victory in the Matriarch Stakes.
Last racing season, Juddmonte Farms marked a record by winning the event for the sixth time with the racehorse Ventura. However, Special Duty failed to win both the English and French 1000 Guineas during her racing as a four year
old, but was promoted to first by the stewards in both of the aforementioned events.
Amongst the most recent of Special Duty’s racing ventures is the Group I Prox de Foret that took place at Longchamp on the 3rd of October this year, in which she managed to finish in the sixth spot behind the top 10
filly Goldikova.
The Matriarch Stakes will not be a smooth trip for the filly as she will be encountering champions like Wasted Tears (the winner of Grade II John Mabee Stakes) and Gypsy’s Warning (the runner up to the winner of Grade I Yellow
Ribbon Stakes).
While the Matriarch Stakes will be in the horse racing limelight on Saturday, the centre of attention for the fans of the sport on Friday will be the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. The race will be run over a distance
of 1 ¼ of a mile on a dirt track and will be featuring colts and geldings of age three and above.
Sports analysts will be paying close attention to Successful Dan in this particular event. The Charles Lopresti trainee will be ridden by Julien Leparoux in this race. The most recent victory that Successful Dan has claimed this
racing season is the Grade II Fayette Stakes at Keenland on the 30th of October. The colt is being considered a strong contender and is expected to give an entertaining performance on this bountiful Thanksgiving weekend, since he has finished two
of his starts at Churchill Downs in the first place including the Grade III Northern Dancer Stakes in the last racing season.
His trainers have tied high expectations from the colt despite his 14 months layoff due to an injury. His trainer was reported as saying, “Those two races at Keenland speak for themselves.”
Other prominent racehorses that will be witnessed at Churchill Downs on Friday include Al Stall Jr. trainee Apart, who is also a stable mate to the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame. Ack Ack and Brass Hat, Redding Colliery and
Giant Oak are also some of the strong contenders of the Clarks Handicap event on Friday.
The other significant event lined up for today is the Grade II Top Flight Handicap that will be run at Aqueduct. The race will begin at 8.38 p.m. GMT over a distance of 1 metre on a dirt surface. Fillies and mares of age three
and above will be starting this meet. Qualia, Sara Louise and Funny Moon have been called the stars of the show tonight at Aqueduct.
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