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Winter Memories escapes, inhales field in Garden City

Winter Memories amazed connections with her turn of foot (Ross Woodson/Horsephotos.com) Although top three-year-old turf filly WINTER MEMORIES (El Prado [Ire]) got a rider switch after her rough-trip fourth in the August 21 Lake Placid S. (G2) at Saratoga, her experience through the first mile of Saturday's $250,000 Garden City S. (G1) at Belmont Park was agonizingly familiar. Under a strong hold from new rider Javier Castellano, the even-money favorite was again buried behind horses with no easy means of escape. Last passing the eighth-pole, Castellano was finally able to angle her out, and Winter Memories unleashed an electric burst to pass the entire field, just reeling in English shipper Theyskens' Theory (Bernardini) by a neck in the shadow of the post. "When they turned into the lane, it was the same scenario," trainer Jimmy Toner said. "She was blocked all over again. She had no place to go. I knew there was no chance to get inside or split horses; they were all bunched. I didn't think she had a chance.

"I can't believe the way she accelerated and exploded, in three strides. Phenomenal. Javier said to me, 'I knew she was going to win.' I said, 'I'm glad you did!'"

John Phillips, of Phillips Racing Partnership, marveled at their talented homebred.

"At the eighth-pole I thought there was no way -- a horse could not pull that off," Phillips said. "It's not like they were blistering up front to start with, so for her to have that brilliant turn of foot -- it was breathtaking."

In the process, Winter Memories comprehensively avenged her Spa defeat. Hungry Island (More Than Ready), the Lake Placid upsetter, could do no better than fourth, and Lake Placid runner-up Kathmanblu (Bluegrass Cat) wound up last in the eight-filly field.

The early pace in the Garden City was pedestrian. More Than Real (More Than Ready), who handed Winter Memories her only other loss in last November's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G2), waltzed through fractions of :26 2/5, :51 3/5 and 1:16 on the firm inner turf. As Kathmanblu ranged up to apply pressure, Theyskens' Theory bided her time in midpack, and Winter Memories found herself steadily losing position, until she wound up in the rear.

The field was tightly bunched down the stretch. More Than Real stubbornly clung to the lead through one mile in 1:39 3/5, but Theyskens' Theory soon drove past her. Yet many eyes were probably focused elsewhere -- on the trailing Winter Memories. Clearly full of run, Winter Memories just needed a path. The only avenue open was widest of all, and Castellano took it. Winter Memories lengthened stride powerfully and blew her rivals away, crossing the wire in hand.

The final time for the grassy 1 1/8 miles was 1:51, a product of the dawdling fractions, but the winner blazed her final furlong in roughly :10 3/5. Winter Memories, who was spotting Theyskens' Theory five pounds as the 123-pound highweight, returned $4.20, $2.60 and $2.20.

Winter Memories won cozily in the end (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) "I didn't have a place to go," Castellano recapped. "I had to sit still and wait for my best moment to go around. I tried to sneak into a couple of holes, but it didn't work out that way. I had to wait a little bit for my opportunity. When everybody started to move, I had a chance to move her aside and let her find her kick. She has a wonderful kick, and I think that's what my best advantage is. When I asked her, she took off. I'm very blessed to ride this filly; she's one of the best fillies in the country." "Javier never panicked," Toner said. "I told him, 'I'd rather you wait as long as you can, eventually you'll get out,' and he did. I didn't expect him to wait that long. I thought it was over. We're back on track, back in the game." "When she has horses on her outside and around her," Phillips noted, "she can get a little anxious, but I thought Castellano did a very good job, under the circumstances, of keeping her relaxed. I thought he did a good job on the backside. When they turned for home, she just was not going to be able to go anywhere and then he finally did get the break to slide to the outside and that was it. It's hard to believe that there was a little more gas left in the tank, but I think there was."

Theyskens' Theory was 1 1/2 lengths clear of More Than Real, who edged Hungry Island and Arch Support (Arch) for third. Salary Drive (Mizzen Mast) was a close sixth, followed by Pinch Pie (Victory Gallop) and Kathmanblu in a blanket finish, with the octet covered by fewer than three lengths. Main-track-only entrant Draw It (Tapit) was scratched.

Garrett Gomez, the rider of Theyskens' Theory, summed up the race succinctly.

"She did everything right, she did everything I was asking her to do, she just ended up being second best," Gomez said.

Trainer Brian Meehan revealed that Theyskens' Theory would not return to England, but would instead stay in the United States.

Favored in all eight career starts, Winter Memories has compiled a 6-1-0 mark with $698,100 in earnings. The gray signaled her talent in a smart debut victory at Saratoga last September, and confirmed that impression still further with a 5 1/4-length tour de force in the October 3 Miss Grillo S. (G3). Winter Memories was expected to complete the hat trick in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, but a troubled trip in traffic proved too much to overcome, and she settled for runner-up honors.

Winter Memories opened her sophomore campaign with a three-race winning streak. Up in time by a comfortable neck in the April 21 Appalachian S. (G3) at Keeneland, she rolled to a three-length score in the May 30 Sands Point S. (G2) at Belmont, and romped by a devastating 4 1/2 lengths in the July 27 Lake George S. (G2) at Saratoga, leaving More Than Real well back in third. Her skein ended in the Lake Placid, where she was buffeted in traffic, and failed to pick up once in the clear on the inside. In the aftermath of that reverse, Jose Lezcano, who had ridden her from the beginning, lost the mount.

The Kentucky-bred is out of another Phillips homebred star, multiple Grade 1 queen Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk). She captured eight stakes during her three seasons of racing, including the 1996 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1), in a Keeneland course-record 1:45 4/5 for 1 1/8 grassy miles, and the 1997 Beverly D. S. (G1). Her resume also features victories in the Diana H. (G2), Ballston Spa H. (G3), Just a Game H. (G3) and Nijana S. (G3); placings in the Matriarch S. (G1), Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) and Flower Bowl Invitational H. (G1); and a bankroll of more than $1.4 million.

Memories of Silver's first two foals were stakes winners, British Blue (Storm Cat) and War Trace (Storm Cat), but she didn't have a graded-class runner until La Cloche (Ghostzapper) finished second in the Pucker Up S. (G3) last fall. Memories of Silver's latest progeny are a yearling colt by Bluegrass Cat and a 2011 colt by Tiznow. She is in turn a half-sister to Memories (Hail the Pirates), who captured the first division of the 1988 Miss Grillo S. (G2); Grade 3-placed stakes winner Memories of Gold (Time for a Change); and Irish stakes-placed Childhood Memories (The Minstrel). Memories herself is the dam of Group 3 victor Russian Revival (Nureyev) while Childhood Memories is the granddam of multiple Grade 2 winner Liberian Freighter (Bertrando), who garnered the Arcadia S. (G2) and Inglewood H. (G3) in April.

Winter Memories' third dam is Grade 3 queen Java Moon (Graustark), and she comes from the same line as turf champions Ryafan (Lear Fan) and Sunshine Forever (Roberto); multiple Grade 1 winner and classic-placed Brian's Time (Roberto); and Grade/Group 2 heroes Tillerman (In the Wings [GB]) and Freedom Crest (To Freedom). Also in this family is Grade 1 victress Andover Way (His Majesty), best known as the dam of top sire Dynaformer (Roberto).

Winter Memories will now try to emulate her dam by taking the October 15 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, where she could meet Theyskens' Theory again.

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