Carrying odds of 12-1, Sacred Wish got a hall-of-fame ride from Hall of Fame jockey John Velázquez on Sunday at Del Mar and came away a neck the best in the 44th edition of the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes on closing day of the fall season.
The 4-year-old daughter of Not This Time tracked the early leader in the one-mile turf test. She responded to Velázquez’s urgings turning for home and just held off post-time favorite Gina Romantica, who was closing fast down the middle of the track.