Velázquez rides 12-1 long shot Sacred Wish to Matriarch upset

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.

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Sacred Wish registered her first Grade 1 victory in the Matriarch for veteran trainer George Weaver. She returned $27.60 after running the distance in 1:34.76. The early fractions were 23.32, 47.57 and 1:11.59.

“Ag Bullet just set it up perfect for her,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “She wasn’t going too fast, was comfortable behind horses and was able to go up the rail and get it done this time. Johnny already had it in his head that instead of waiting for her, he was going to ask her to go, and where she put herself is where she was going to be. He’s ridden her so well in the past. He gets along with her good, and I’m just so happy he was able to come out and ride her.”

It was the second stakes victory Sunday for Velázquez. He won earlier with Clock Tower in the Cecil B. DeMille (G3). It was the second graded victory for sire Not This Time, the Giant’s Causeway horse who also was responsible for Clock Tower.

“Broke great,” Velázquez said about Sacred Wish. “I was hoping that she would break well. ... I thought she would take me farther down in the lane, and I could get her going along the turn, and it worked out perfect. The horse in the lead (Ag Bullet) took me where I thought. She pulled out, and she had a nice kick to fight down the lane.”

Gina Romantica, the 6-5 favorite, finished second. She was three-quarters of a length better than pacesetter Ag Bullet, who came in third.

Sacred Wish picked up a first prize of $180,000, which increased her earnings to $985,138. She’s finished in the top three in 13 of her 17 career starts for owners Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher Dunn and Anthony Spinazzola.