:'' This article is about an American horse race. For the Australian horse race, see

Matriarch Stakes (Australia) The Matriarch Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race for mares aged four years old and upwards, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 2,000 metres, held annually at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, A ...

.'' The Matriarch Stakes is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for fillies and mares that are of age three-years-old or older over a distance of one mile (8

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s) on the

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

track scheduled annually in late November at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the De ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $400,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 22 November 1981 at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf and was won by the Irish-bred import

Kilijaro Kilijaro (8 February 1976 – after 1990) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was the best filly of her generation in Ireland at both two and three years of age, winning the Phoenix Stakes and finishing second in th ...

who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey

Laffit Pincay Jr. Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. (born December 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama) was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States. Career Pinca ...

and trained by US Hall of Fame trainer

Charles E. Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began w ...

defeating the 1980 United States Champion Older Female Horse

Glorious Song {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Glorious Song , image = , caption = , sire = Halo , grandsire = Hail To Reason , dam = Ballade , damsire = Herbager , sex = Filly , foaled = 1976 , country = Canada , colour = Bay , breeder = E. P. ...

by lengths in a time of 1:47 flat. The event would be Kilijaro's last as she would be retired. The following year the event was split in two divisions and both divisions were won by jockey

Ray Sibille Raymond Frederick Sibille (born September 13, 1952, in Sunset, Louisiana) is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. In a career that spanned thirty-five years, he rode his first winner on June 29, 1969, at Evangeline Downs in Caren ...

. In 1983, for the third running of the event,

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

classified the event with the highest status of

, a classification which the event holds today. The 1992 US Champion Female Turf Horse

Flawlessly Flawlessly (1988–2002) was an American Thoroughbred race horse bred by Harbor View Farm. She was a daughter of 1978 Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing champion Affirmed and La Confidence by Nijinsky II. At two, she trained under Dick Dutro ...

won this event for the third time in 1993 and retaining her crown for another year as the US Champion Female Turf Horse. In 1995 the distance of the event was increased to miles with purse of $700,000. the event was run at the distance until 1998. In 1999 the distance was reverted back to miles. In 2003 the distance of the event was decreased to one mile. The race was not run in 2005 due to problems with Hollywood Park's grass course not being ready after the turf course was reseeded. With the closure of Hollywood Park Racetrack in 2013 the event was moved to Del Mar Racetrack. Although the event is programmed after the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

many fine fillies and mares have won race. Including 1984 winner Irish-bred

Royal Heroine Royal Heroine (1980–2002) was a Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Champion racehorse foaled in Ireland who raced in England and France and then in the United States where she set a North American record for a mile on turf while winning the inaugur ...

who won the inaugural

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

and was crowned US Champion Female Turf Horse.

Ryafan Ryafan was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse. Background She was sired by Lear Fan, an American stallion who raced in Europe, winning the Prix Jacques le Marois in 1984. His other progeny included Good Ba Ba and Sikeston ...

won the event as a three-year-old and was awarded US Champion Female Turf Horse in 1997. French-bred Starine won the event in 2001 and would win the

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championship ...

the following year. British bred

Intercontinental Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (IH ...

won the event in 2004 and would also win the

the following year and become US Champion Female Turf Horse. The most recent winner of this event to win a

event was British bred mare Uni who won the

and was also voted as US Champion Female Turf Horse for 2019.

Records

Speed record: *1 mile: 1:33.03 – Viadera (GB) (2020) * miles: 1:46.06 – Tout Charmant (2000) * miles: 2:00.14 – Wandesta (GB) (1996) Margins: * 6 lengths – Squeak (GB) (1998) Most wins: * 3 -

(1991, 1992, 1993) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 5 -

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

(1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 - Robert J. Frankel (1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) Most wins by an owner : * 7 -

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview Ju ...

(1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2020)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Ran as field entrty

External links

2021 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Horse races in California Recurring sporting events established in 1981 1981 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References