More Than Real ready to spoil a perfect run for Winter Memories yet again, when they meet in the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes.
James Toner trained Winter Memories was handed her only defeat of her career by More Than Real in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies turf on 5 November, 2011. Now she will be facing More Than Real again in the $150,000, Grade 2 Lake George Stakes
on 27 July at Saratoga.
More Than Real at Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies was sent as a 13 to 1 favourite, ridden under Garret Gomez the filly jumped into the lead and kept Winter Memories trailing and losing by a head.
Both fillies have had a quiet winter with no races, but Winter Memories got a clear advantage over the Todd Pletcher trained three-year-old filly with 2 wins in spring.
The daughter of El Prado, Winter Memories is coming off a back to back win in the Grade 3 Appalachian at Keeneland and at Belmont Park where she won the Grade 2 Sands Point.
Winter Memories broke her maiden back in 2010 with an impressive win at the Saratoga race course by defeating Town Flirt and Hungry Island by a huge margin.
She was taken to Belmont Park to run on the turf course there and participate in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo under her usual jockey J Lezcano on 3 October, 2010.
The filly dominated the field once again and became an instant success for Phillip Racing Partnership, owners and breeders of the filly.
That magnificent performance upgraded the filly’s race status, as she got entered in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She ran a good race but couldn’t match the pace of More Than Real.
In the year 2011, Winter Memories has run 2 races and went on to win all of them with 2 of 2 in the spring/summer meet.
Her first start in 2011 came on the Keeneland turf course over at a mile.
The filly won it quiet comfortably and marked the season with a stakes win.
Next in line was the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park turf course on 30 May, 2011.
Over at a distance of 1 1/16 mile under J Lezcano, the pair went fast and strong beating Celestial Kitten and Parting Words on the way, finishing in a fast minute and 42.61 seconds.
On the other hand, More Than Real has made a single start in the 2011 season in England at Ascot, where she contested in the Grade 1 Coronation Stakes over at a distance of a mile and finished 11th on 17 June.
The Grade 2 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga has reeled in five other fillies apart from More Than Real and Winter Memories.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will also run Bellamy Star increasing his chances twice as much to win the race.
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