Regal Glory Goes For Year-End Gold In Matriarch

[Wandering Eyes]

In a tightly-contested race for the year-end Female Turf award, Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) looks to land the year's final blow and defend her title in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar Sunday.

With both War Like Goddess (English Channel) and stablemate In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), her two main rivals for the Eclipse, done for the season, Regal Glory, last year's winner of this race, enters off a 10th-place finish in the GI Fanduel Breeders' Cup Mile behind Europe's best males including winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Despite being one of only two six-year-olds in the field, Regal Glory has already posted wins this year in a pair of grade-one events and was a narrow second to Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the GI Fourstardave H. at Saratoga Aug. 13 in her first try against males.

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will look to return to the form that saw her earn a trip to Royal Ascot earlier this summer. A stakes winner already this season in Pimlico's Hilltop S. May 20, Pizza Bianca suffered an abysmal trip in the G1 Coronation S. at Ascot and didn't return stateside until a last out fourth in the GII Sands Point S. at Belmont's Aqueduct meeting Oct. 15 where she matched her career high 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Nearly undefeated in her native Italy, including a win in the G3 Italian 1000 Guineas, Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}) has seen success this year on American soil when running second to Regal Glory in the GI Longines Just A Game S. June 11 and winning Woodbine's GII Dance Smartly S. July 24. Seventh behind Modern Games in the GI Woodbine Mile, her only start against the boys, Wakanaka returned a winner against her own sex in the Fall Harvest S. at Keeneland on Breeders' Cup Saturday.

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