La Tia can't be caught in Matriarch

Salvador Hernandez's homebred La Tia found the ideal spot to earn a coveted

Grade 1 laurel -- Sunday's $300,500

Matriarch over a flat mile. Shipping in from Hawthorne for Del Mar's closing

day feature, the Illinois-bred standout used her early speed to great effect and

led every step of the way.

La Tia was also handing Armando de la Cerda his first top-level score in just

his second year as a trainer.

"This is my first time to Del Mar, the first horse I've run here and my first

Grade 1 winner," de la Cerda said. "She has not been very good to travel, she

loses weight, so I wanted to come early. I galloped her two days ago and she

looked like she liked the grass.

"I expected the pace to be like high :22 for the first quarter and :46 to the

half," he added. "When I see it's :23 and three and :47 and four, I thought to

myself, 'She's gone.'"

Leaving the gate as the 2-1 second choice, La Tia scampered to the fore

through an opening quarter in :23 3/5. Gender Agenda was her nearest pursuer,

while 3-2 favorite Discreet Marq hugged the rail in a tracking third.

Jockey

Joel Rosario nursed the front runner along through steady splits of :47 4/5 and

1:11 4/5, leaving plenty up his sleeve for the drive. Discreet Marq, who missed

by a nose in the 2013 Matriarch at its old Hollywood home, rallied and briefly

loomed a danger.

But La Tia found an extra gear to bag the victory. Queen of the Sand closed

on the inside to grab second, 1 1/4 lengths astern of the winner. After

finishing the firm-turf event in 1:35 1/5, La Tia furnished $6.60 to win.

"She was a little slow going away from there, but I got her going and she was

game from there," Rosario said. "I knew those other horses would be coming, but

my filly was tough. I still had some left at the end, too. She still had

something in the tank. I love riding out here. I always have. I want to come

back more. I'm going to get my agent working on getting me more horses out this

way." 

Discreet Marq settled for third. Gender Agenda reported home fourth, and

Strathnaver, Sheza Smoke Show and Kadaya rounded out the order under the wire.

Lexie Lou was scratched following her honorable second to California Chrome in

Saturday's Hollywood Derby.