Matera

This gray daughter of Tapit broke her maiden in her third career start, winning a photo finish at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 12, 2019. After that race, she went to the sidelines for fourteen months, and returned with a seventh-place effort in a first-level allowance optional claiming race at Los Alamitos on Dec. 12, 2020.

Matera made her first start of 2021, and her first start for trainer Brad Cox, at Oaklawn Park on March 31. She won a first-level allowance optional claiming race by two lengths in gate-to-wire fashion.

After a few months on the bench, Matera made her stakes debut in the Mari Hulman George Memorial Stakes at Indiana Grand Race Course on July 7. Under vigorous urging from Florent Geroux, she got up in the last few strides and won by a half-length as the 11-10 favorite.

Matera made her next start in the Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park on Aug. 15. She broke from the far outside post position in the one-mile race, which started out of a unique chute on the first turn at Ellis. Despite this disadvantage, Geroux put her in prime stalking position just outside the leader. In the stretch, Matera battled with pacesetting Lady Kate and ended up winning by a neck.