Winter Memories bids goodbye to racing after seeing her fair share of success
Looks like the Grade 1 Diana Handicap was the last race for Winter Memories, which she claimed in a grand fashion by defeating, Dream Peace, at Saratoga, over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
The four-year-old filly’s start studded career, which included seven grade 1 victories, has come to an end as she developed filling in her ankles after she returned to training, which will not allow her to participate in any more races.
Trainer James Toner told the press that:
“The X-ray showed that she had some bruising in the condyles, which in itself is not a major issue, but you can’t run,” he commented. “Right now it’s not serious; it’s not even an injury.”
The gorgeous gray was whelped on 24th April, 2008, she was determined to be a success from the day she started racing. As a juvenile, she claimed the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes, finished as a runner-up in the Grade 2 Breeders'
Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which was an honour in itself.
In her 2011 campaign, the daughter of El Prado started the season brilliantly when she aced three races one after the other.
The wins included the Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes, the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes and the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes.
The winning streak broke when the filly finished fourth in the Grade 2 Woodford Reserve Lake Placid Stakes. She bounced back soon enough and claimed the first Grade 1 victory of her career in the Garden City Stakes at Belmont Park in September, 2011.
The trainer is sad to see the talented runner go, she will be taken home, the Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky, and this is not a pleasant thought for the trainer as he said:
“With her not being in that first stall, there’s going to be a bit of an empty feeling.” Toner also added:
“This filly has done things I’ve never seen before. She’s got the ‘wow’ factor, and that’s the part you don’t see too often.”
The filly had a successful career and it is a bitter-sweet feeling to see her retire and not full her true potential. Her overall record stands at 8-2-0 from 12 starts and she has accumulated earnings worth $1,268,100.
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