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Les Reys reigns supreme in $150K Winter Memories

by Mary Eddy

West Point Thoroughbreds, Peter Leidel and Winters Equine’s Les Reys made a successful American debut when finding a seam late to capture Friday’s Listed $150,000 Winter Memories, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Christophe Clement and expertly piloted by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, Les Reys doubled up on stakes victories after a last-out score at Longchamp in the June 9 Prix Volterra for previous conditioner Didier Guillemin. The gray daughter of Penny’s Picnic improved her record to 8-4-1-0, and provided Clement with his sixth stakes win in the last four weeks.

“Nice filly. She's trained very well,” Clement said. “My brother [Nicolas Clement] loved her when she won in France - she exploded in the stretch, she has a great turn of foot. He said, ‘you have to buy her.’ So, we did.”

Clement said Les Reys was forced to skip an intended first stateside outing in the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 17 at Saratoga Race Course, but proved well worth the wait with her effort today.

“She was impressive today, too. She came from five or six [lengths] out of it today. She came up the inside and finished well,” Clement said. “She had been working with all the better horses in the morning on grass and working well. She was unable to run in the Lake Placid - she had a small infection and had to pass, but she was always working well.”

Les Reys emerged a step slow from the inside post after the scratches of Macanga and Zo Lee, and settled in mid-pack as the speedy Ori took over from Ready to Jam into the first turn and marked the opening quarter-mile in 23.84 seconds over the firm footing.

Proctor Street drew up alongside Ready to Jam to take second position into the backstretch as Les Reys rated along the inside in seventh behind a headstrong Cloudwalker. Proctor Street kept Ori within striking distance as the half-mile elapsed in 48.51, and inched closer to be head-and-head with her rival in the turn.

Ori was headed by Proctor Street at the top of the lane with three-quarters in 1:12.27 as the awkward-starting Poolside With Slim loomed in third and a patient Rosario had angled his charge off the inside to make his move for the lead behind the Chad Brown-trained Grade 2-winner Dynamic Pricing.

“She had a great trip. She was on the inside, saving ground,” said Clement. “She followed Chad's filly going to the last turn. She always showed a great turn of foot in the morning as well. She's nice - it's exciting.”

It appeared Les Reys was in need of racing room in the stretch with Dynamic Pricing to her outside and the pair of Ready to Jam and Poolside With Slim close together just ahead of her, but a seam opened between the latter two at the right moment and Rosario stepped on the gas at the eighth pole.

Poolside With Slim angled around a tiring Proctor Street in the final sixteenth as Ori battled back to again hold a precarious lead along the inside, but Rosario and Les Reys found another seam late to split foes once again and inch a half-length clear of Ori in the final strides to complete the course in 1:35.95.

Ori bravely held onto show honors by a head over post-time favorite Dynamic Pricing with Poolside With Slim completing the superfecta. Proctor Street, Whiskey Decision, Lady de Berry, Ready to Jam and Cloudwalker rounded out the order of finish.

Macanga and Mixologist scratched in favor of the Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational tomorrow here. Nice as Pie, who is entered in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters next Friday, Zo Lee, also-eligible Vino Rouge and main track-only entrant Value Area were also scratched.

Rosario praised the filly’s bravery, and explained his split-second decisions that helped them land in the winner’s circle.

"She was able to do everything. She did an amazing race because with everything that went in the race, and then she was able to come and win the race with a good turn of foot from her,” Rosario said. “I was just thinking, following that one horse in front of me who kind of slowed down turning inside, came closer to me, so I just had to not ride and let her do her thing. It worked out. She handled everything."

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, aboard the Michelle Nevin-trained Ori, said the Hard Spun chestnut enjoyed a comfortable trip for second at odds of 43-1, the longest shot on the board.

"She ran really good. We expected to be close to the lead, and we were there going past the wire, then she settled nicely,” Velazquez explained. “In the stretch, she switched leads and I thought I might still hold on. The other horse came and got us."

Clement added a potential next start for Les Reys could be the one-mile Grade 2 Valley View on October 25 at Keeneland.

Bred in France by Athanase Poulopoulos and Haras du Hoguenet, Les Reys banked $82,500 in victory, boosting her total purse earnings to $166,120. She returned $14.60 on a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Belmont at the Big A with an 11-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks in Race 10. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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