Never Retreat after a high flying season is pointed to another grade 1 race in the shape of Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park
It has been a magnificent season for the Chris Block trained six-year-old mare, Never Retreat, who has definitely come to her own this season, landing 5 graded stakes races this season and now entered in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes on the back of an emphatic
win in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland.
The 2011 edition of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes has reeled in 9 three-year-old and up, fillies and mares to run over a distance of 1 mile on turf at Hollywood Park on 25 November, 2011.
Jeff Singer and Team Block owned Never Retreat has participated in 10 races this season, and all of them have been graded stakes races. The confidence in Never Retreat by her connections is overwhelming and she has justified their decision by winning 5 of
those 10 graded stakes races with thrice finishing on the board.
Her first two starts of the season yielded two finishes on the board, starting from the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes at Gulfstream Park over at 1 1/16 miles. Never Retreat finished third to winner Justaroundmidnight and the runner up Persuading.
She improved her finishing in her next start, the Grade 3 Suwannee River over at 1 1/8 miles where she finished second to winner Cherokee Queen at Gulfstream Park.
Third time the charm, as Never Retreat sticking to Gulfstream Park’s turf course, and cutting down in distance over a mile she landed the Grade 3 Honey Fox with the winning time of 1 minute and 34.24 seconds.
The Smart Strike filly took the winning momentum into the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes, and marking her Keeneland season opener with a win at about 1 1/16 miles, defeating Fantasia and Zagora, who finished second and third, respectively.
After a 6th place finish in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs, Never Retreat went further north to Canada where she merely missed on winning the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes by finishing second to winner Bay to Bay.
She won her next two starts at Woodbine, the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes and the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes, and then rolling down to the map at Keeneland to capture the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes.
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