Winter Memories freezes out Miss Grillo competition

Phillips Racing Partnership's homebred WINTER MEMORIES (El Prado [Ire]) ran

away from her rivals in Sunday's $150,000

Miss

Grillo S. (G3) at Belmont Park. With jockey Jose Lezcano aboard, the James

Toner trainee circled the field rounding the turn and took command entering the

stretch. From there, the gray lass turned the 1 1/16-mile turf test into a paid

workout as she drew off under her own power to be 5 1/4 lengths clear on the

wire.

"She did everything we could ask for and more," Toner said. "I was concerned

around the turn when she started to drop back, but Jose said she was trying to

take him, so he checked her. She's a big long-striding filly, so we wanted to

keep her clear."

"In the first part of the race I was behind horses and when I moved in the

clear she wanted to take a hold of the bit, so I had to take a hold of her again

so I could wait for the quarter-pole," Lezcano explained. "Then I swung out and

she just exploded. She has a really big and fast kick. I'm not surprised at her

effort today -- she is a really nice filly."

Winter Memories settled near the rear when the gates opened on the Miss

Grillo, but Fancy Point (Point Given) was having none of that and headed

straight for the front. That chestnut miss proceeded to set splits of :24 2/5,

:49 2/5 and 1:15 while closely tracked on her outside by Button Girl (Mizzen

Mast). Despite the slow early fractions, Fancy Point had no answer when Winter

Memories suddenly burst upon the scene in the stretch. As the eventual winner

powered home, Arch Support (Arch) just got up to deny Fancy Point second by a

nose as the longest shot on the board at 50-1.

"We thought she would run much better than she did last time out at Saratoga

(when seventh in the P.G. Johnson S.)," assistant trainer Marcelo Areanas said

about Arch Support. "It was very hot that day and she was bothered by it; today

was much cooler. Plus, she has been training very well leading up to this race.

We're very pleased."

Winter Memories vindicated her status as the 7-5 favorite in the 11-filly

field, paying $4.90, $3.90 and $3.10 for stopping the clock in 1:45 3/5 over the

yielding ground. Arch Support returned $30.80 and $17 while ending the $214

exacta. Fancy Point, sent off at 5-1, was worth $5 and completed the $1,061

trifecta (11-3-7). Following the top three under the wire were Excited (Giant's

Causeway), Silent Joy (Kitten's Joy), A Brilliant Idea (Afleet Alex), Pleine

Forme (Grand Slam), Table Talking (Orientate), Le Mi Geaux (First Samurai),

Button Girl and Sleepless Dixie (Dixie Union). Come a Callin (Dixie Union) was

scratched while Atlantic Voyage (Stormy Atlantic) and Upper East Sider (Forest

Wildcat) were on the also-eligible list.

The Kentucky-bred Winter Memories got up to take her maiden debut at Saratoga

by 1 1/2 lengths on September 3, and was making just her second start here. The

juvenile lass is now a perfect two-for-two in her career and has already

accumulated $120,600 in lifetime earnings.

Winter Memories is out of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Memories of

Silver (Silver Hawk), who captured eight stakes during her three seasons of

racing including the 1996 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. (G1) and 1997

Beverly D. S. (G1). The bay mare also placed in the Matriarch S. (G1), Yellow

Ribbon S. (G1) and Flower Bowl Invitational H. (G1) during her career and banked

more than $1.4 million in earnings. Memories of Silver's first two foals were

stakes winners in their own right, but she didn't have a graded-class runner

until La Cloche (Ghostzapper) finished second in the Pucker Up S. (G3) on

September 6. Winter Memories is now the first graded scorer for her dam.

Memories of Silver, who also has a weanling colt by Bluegrass Cat, is a

half-sister to Memories (Hail the Pirates), who captured the first division of

the 1988 Miss Grillo S. (G2) when it was run at Aqueduct; Grade 3-placed stakes

winner Memories of Gold (Time for a Change); and Irish listed-placed Childhood

Memories (The Minstrel). Memories is herself the dam of Group 3 victor Russian

Revival (Nureyev) while Childhood Memories is the granddam of Grade 2-placed

Liberian Freighter (Bertrando), who scored a nose win when last seen in the

August 25 Harry F. Brubaker S.

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 (Robert); 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), who is most known as the dam of top sire Dynaformer (Roberto).