Winter Memories (April 24, 2008 – May 16, 2023) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

. As a two-year-old, she won the

Miss Grillo Stakes The Miss Grillo Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds filles over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in late September at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event currently offers a purse ...

and finished second in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred fillies two years old. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American thor ...

. Next year, she returned with the win in the

Appalachian Stakes The Appalachian Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky during the spring mee ...

, the

Sands Point Stakes The Sands Point Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event currently offers a purse of $2 ...

, the

Lake George Stakes The Lake George Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one mile on the turf course scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event curre ...

, and the

Garden City Stakes The Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade I event open to three-year-old fillies and raced over a distance of a mile and one quarter. The cur ...

. As a four-year-old, she won the

Beaugay Stakes The Beaugay Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth of a mile at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York. History The event was inaugu ...

and the

Diana Stakes The Diana Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. Named for the mythological goddess Diana, the race is run each year at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1939, it is open to fillies and mares age three and ...

. Owned and breed by Phillips Racing Partnership, she was trained by James J. Toner. Winter Memories has been ridden by

Jose Lezcano Jose Lezcano (born April 20, 1985) is a Panamanian jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rides in New York in the spring, summer and fall and spends the winter in Florida. His big break came in 2008 when he won a Breeders' Cup race. Ca ...

until she lost in the

Lake Placid Stakes The Lake Placid Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-sixteenths miles on the turf course scheduled annually in late July or early August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga ...

when he was replaced with

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977) is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey four times in a row from 2013 to 2016. In 2023 he won two legs of the American Tripl ...

. Winter Memories was sired by El Prado, who also sired

Paddy O'Prado Paddy O'Prado (February 15, 2007 – October 22, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, he finished third in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His regular jockey was Kent Desormeaux. Racing career Paddy O'Prado wa ...

. She is out of

Silver Hawk ''Silver Hawk'' () is a 2004 superhero film directed by Jingle Ma and starring Michelle Yeoh, Richie Jen, Luke Goss, Brandon Chang and Michael White. Yeoh plays the title character, a masked comic book style heroine who rides a motorcycle, s ...

mare Memories Of Silver.

Racing career

2010 season

On September 3, 2010, Winter Memories won her first start and defeated nine other opponents. She broke her maiden in a Maiden Special Weight going 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga. She was ridden by Jose Lezcano, carried 119 lbs and won by 1 1/2 lengths. On October 3, 2010, Winter Memories won the 1 1/16 miles

by 5 lengths at Belmont Park. On November 5, 2010, Winter Memories finished 2nd in Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf as a favorite to More Than Real.

2011 season

On April 21, 2011, Winter Memories won the 1 1/16 miles Grade 3

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

. She was ridden by

and won by a neck carrying 123 lbs. On May 30, 2011, Winter Memories traveled back to

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

where she won the

. Winter Memories went on to win the Grade 2

on the July 27, 2011. She broke slow and was last in the six horse field. She had been stopped, but than she went to the outside and won by 4 1/2 lengths. Winter Memories won her first grade 1 in the

at Belmont Park. Like her other races, she made a late charge, but she had to overcome major traffic issues to win in a time of 1:51.06. Her late charge was so strong that racetrack announcer Tom Durkin called her a "grey bullet".

2012 season

Winter Memories began her four-year-old campaign with a win in the

in May but then disappointed in the

Just A Game Stakes The Just A Game Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age four and up run over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event offers a purse ...

behind Tapitsfly. On July 28, 2012 Winter Memories took her second grade I in the

accelerating at the final bend for a length and half victory. The win saw her emulate her dam Memories of Silver, who won the race in 1998. After the race, her owner John Phillips described her as "a very, very good horse". During the home stretch of the

, however, Winter Memories jolted to the right and appeared to be injured. This spurred on extensive veterinary examinations in the days after the race. It was discovered that Winter Memories had been suffering form a degenerative bone disease for quite some time. On August 9, 2012, owner Phillips Racing Partnership and trainer James J. Toner announced her retirement from racing.

Broodmare career

As a dam Winter Memories produced Winter Sunset, a filly who won black-type and listed stakes races at Fair Grounds Race Track and

Horseshoe Indianapolis Horseshoe Indianapolis (formerly Indiana Grand Racing & Casino and Indiana Live!) is a casino with a horse racing track in Shelbyville, Indiana owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment (2020), Caesars Entertainment. It is the closest casino to ...

and placed in three Grade III races as a three-year-old, and Seasons, who placed in four stakes races in his career. Both horses were sired by three-time leading sire

Tapit Tapit (foaled February 27, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three of his six races, including the Wood Memorial Stakes, then a Graded stakes race, Grade I event. He was an immediate success after retiring to stud, ...

. Her last foal is a filly by

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

born in 2022.

Death

In October 2023,

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath ...

owner John Phillips confirmed that Winter Memories was euthanized earlier that year–on May 16–due to issues with her hind suspensory ligaments that made it difficult for her to stand.

Career statistics

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 2008 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 4-r 2023 racehorse deaths