Regal Glory collected three grade 1 victories and $1,374,250 during a stellar year for owner Peter Brant, improving with age and adding the title of champion turf female to her resume.
The now-7-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom kicked 2022 off in immaculate style, capturing the Jan. 29 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G3T) by an impressive 2 1/2 lengths. Three months later, she dominated the Keeneland turf in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T), finishing a length ahead of a competitive field. Next the Chad Brown trainee swept the June 11 Just a Game Stakes (G1T) by 3 1/2 lengths, beating out Wakanaka and stablemate In Italian at Belmont Park.
Next out in August at Saratoga Race Course, Regal Glory ran into some traffic trouble and finished a formidable second in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) in open company. Fellow Brant-owned Brown trainee In Italian gave her a run for the money in the Oct. 8 First Lady Stakes (G1T), beating Regal Glory by one length at Keeneland.
A return to open company and an 14-horse field proved unfavorable during the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), where Regal Glory floated out and never had the opportunity to contest the frontrunners. She finished tenth to the Charlie Appleby-trained European invader Modern Games, her only off-the-board finish in 2022.
Regular rider Jose Oritz was aboard for all her starts except her season finale on the West Coast, where she returned to winning ways Dec. 4 at Del Mar, winning the Matriarch Stakes (G1T) by an impressive 5 1/4 lengths with Flavien Prat in the irons. Like a fine wine, this mare is blossoming with age.
For her career, Regal Glory has earnings of $2,619,134 in 23 starts from ages 2 through 6, with a 13-6-0 record. Bred by the late Paul Pompa in Kentucky, she is out of grade 2-winning More Than Ready mare Mary's Follies, producer of grade 3 winner Night Prowler, by Giant's Causeway, and grade 1 winner Cafe Pharoah, by American Pharoah . Pompa campaigned his homebred through 2020 with Brown, who continued to condition the mare after she changed hands to Brant for $925,000 during the 2021 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
