Viadera

Juddmonte's Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) captured the 2020 GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar and looks to defend her title in Sunday's renewal. Last year's victory was her third straight and she kicked off this term with a fourth in Saratoga's De La Rose S. Aug. 8, an event she won last year. Scoring by a nose in Saratoga's GII Ballston Spa S. Aug. 28, the bay could only manage sixth last time in Keeneland's GI First Lady S. Oct. 9. Trainer Chad Brown, who saddled three of the...

Godolphin's Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) rides a two-race win skein in the U.S., but appears likely have to work for her third consecutive Grade I victory in of a competitive renewal of the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland Saturday, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly&Mare Turf Nov. 6. On the board in all 11 career starts, the homebred posted her first win at the group level at Meydan in the G2 Cape Verdi S. in January before finishing third behind stablemate Summer Romance...

A host of good fillies have won the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood over the years, with the most recent Classic heroine to have emerged from the race being Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), who paid a handsome compliment to her breeder Bob McCreery in the months after his death in December 2016. This year's winner Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) will certainly have her second-season trainer James Ferguson dreaming of the first weekend of May next year at his local course of  Newmarket. And he has good...

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle half of the six-horse field in the GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga Saturday. Brown's trio is led by GI Matriarch S. winner Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). The 5-year-old mare opened her stateside campaign with a fourth-place effort in last year's GIII Intercontinental S. before culminating a three-race win streak in the Matriarch last November. In her lone start this year, she was a troubled fourth in the Aug. 8 De La Rose S. "She had a lot of trouble last time, but she...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a full-sister to Grade I winner Viadera. 4.25 Naas, Mdn, €15,500, 2yo, f, 5f 205yT SACRED BRIDGE (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) is a full-sister to last year's GI Matriarch S. heroine Viadera (GB), who before joining Chad Brown spent her formative period with this filly's trainer...

While Group 1 racing has wound down for the season in Europe, it rolls on across the Atlantic, and somewhat lost in the shuffle of the breeding stock sales was an excellent weekend on Nov. 28 and 29 for Juddmonte sires in California. Domestic Spending (GB) became the third Group 1 winner for Kingman (GB) when kicking late to take the Hollywood Derby going 1800 metres on the turf, while Viadera (GB) made it a first Group 1 winner for Bated Breath (GB) in the one-mile Matriarch S. on the...

Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) looks to become the first 3-year-old filly since Better Lucky (Ghostzapper) in 2012 to defeat older turf distaffers in what appears to be a loaded renewal of the GI Matriarch S. Sunday at Del Mar. One of three in the race for trainer Chad Brown--who won this in 2017 and 2018--the bay filly was twice a winner in seven French runs for Francois Rohaut, including a listed event at La Teste in June. She made an enormous impression when making her stateside debut in the...

With four talented members of his star-studded stable signed on for this test, the main question facing Chad Brown Saturday seems to be not if he will win Belmont's GIII Intercontinental S., but which of his fillies he will win it with. Favoritism is likely to go to Significant Form (Creative Cause), who won this test last year. The gray also captured the GII Ballston Spa S. in August and the GIII Noble Damsel S. in September. She was seventh to Got Stormy (Get Stormy) when last seen in the...