Winter Memories to go 4 in 4 at Belmont Park when she runs in the Beaugay Stakes
Phillips Racing Partnership owned 4-year-old filly, Winter Memories have excelled at Belmont Park, and the James Toner trained filly is going to kick off her 2012 campaign at the same venue by participating in the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay Stakes on 5 May,
2012.
Bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership, Winter Memories have a perfect record at Belmont Park’s turf track, where she has raced thrice and won in as many times, starting from when she was a juvenile.
The El Prado filly kicked off her racing career at Saratoga and won her maiden there at first asking. Her second start was at Belmont Park in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes, where she succeeded convincingly by defeating Arch Support in second and Fancy
Point in third, while she topped the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1 minute and 45.69 seconds.
Her second start at Belmont Park’s turf track was in the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes as a 3-year-old on 30 May, 2011, where she took care of a stubborn, Celestial Kitten, who finished second defeating Parting Words in third.
Winter Memories was rampant at the course as usual, and downed the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1 minute and 42.61 seconds.
It was time for a grade 1 win for Winter Memories, and what better place to achieve that status than Belmont Park. The Grade 1 Garden City Stakes at 1 1/8 mile was her third and final triumph at Belmont Park, when under Javier Castellano for the first time,
the filly covered the distance in 1 minute and 51.06 seconds.
“I’m not sure if she likes Keeneland, and I think she went over the top after the Garden City,” said trainer Jimmy Toner. “I think she left it all out there. There was nothing left. Unfortunately, it was the race we pointed for all year long, but she was
just over the top.”
“She has developed and matured over the winter,” said Toner. “She’s filled out. We haven’t missed a beat, and we look forward to having her back. The ultimate goal this year would be the Breeders’ Cup, but it’s one step at a time. We’re looking forward to
getting back in the groove.”
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