By Stefanie Grimm
In a tightly-contested race for the year-end female turf championship, 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, winner of this race last term, 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 6-year-olds in the field, Regal Glory has already a pair of Grade I wins this year 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.
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