Printer Friendly Page 

Winter Memories leaves rivals cold in debut win

Winter Memories hopes to continue her dam's legacy (NYRA/Adam Coglianese) Phillips Racing Partnership's homebred WINTER MEMORIES (El Prado [Ire]) evoked recollections of her Grade 1-winning dam with a professional debut victory on the turf at Saratoga Race Course in Friday's 6TH race. She joins the New York Watch, which profiles up-and-comers that have recently cleared the maiden ranks at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga. The roan juvenile is the eighth foal out of Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk), who in four starts at Saratoga won the Lake George S. and Nijana S. (G3) in 1996, and the Ballston Spa H. (G3) and Diana H. (G2) in 1997. Outside New York, Memories of Silver captured the 1996 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) and the 1997 Beverly D. S. (G1). Looking to start her own career on the right foot, Winter of Memories settled in seventh under Jose Lezcano through the backstretch run before she started to thread her way through the field on the far turn. After finding room along the hedge, the gray gradually reeled in the pacesetter, grabbing the lead with a sixteenth to go and opening up to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The final time for 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf was 1:42 2/5.

"She was very professional and handled herself in good order," said Jimmy Toner, who also trained Memories of Silver for the Phillips family of Darby Dan Farm. "You're always hopeful that they'll live up to expectations, but you never know until they run. She showed us what we expected of her. Everything we could possibly ask her to do, she did it."

In addition, Toner trained Winter Memories' half-brother War Trace (Storm Cat), winner of the 2004 Choice S. on the grass at Monmouth Park, and currently conditions her half-sister La Cloche (Ghostzapper), who won a Saratoga turf allowance on August 8 and is entered in Monday's Pucker Up S. (G3) at Arlington Park.

Toner was reluctant to compare Winter Memories to her mother and siblings.

"La Cloche has more of her mother's demeanor than Winter Memories," he said. "Winter Memories is a pleasant filly to be around and has no bad habits. Memories of Silver was kind of feisty. They are different types of horse."

But when it comes to affinity for the grass, Winter Memories -- who has another stakes-winning half-brother named British Blue (Storm Cat) -- emulates her mother and siblings.

"Because of her breeding and action, we always thought she'd be a grass horse," said Toner, who added that the gray filly is likely to make her next start in the Miss Grillo S. (G3) at Belmont on October 2.

More Racing Headlines:

Miss Temple City earns hard-fought victory in Matriarch

Annals of Time captures first stakes win in Hollywood Derby

Penn Derby upgraded to Grade 1 for 2017

Miss Temple City headlines Del Mar's closing-day Matriarch

Trio of graded stakes on tap Saturday

Send this article to a friend