​Graded stakes winner Fluffy Socks kicks off 2021 season in $100K Memories of Silver

by Ryan Martin

Head of Plains Partners’ homebred filly Fluffy Socks looks to get her year started in style in Sunday’s sixth running of the $100,000 Memories of Silver over the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

The 1 1/16-mile event for 3-year-old fillies closes out stakes action on Closing Day of the 11-day spring meet at Aqueduct. The program also includes the $200,000 NYSSS Park Avenue for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies going 6 ½ furlongs over the main track. 

The Memories of Silver honors John and Joan Phillips’ six-time graded stakes winning millionaire trained by veteran conditioner Jimmy Toner. The daughter of Silver Hawk won some of New York’s most prestigious events for turf distaffers in the mid 1990’s, including the 1997 Just a Game at Belmont Park and the 1998 Diana at Saratoga, which both boast Grade 1 status today. 

Outside of New York, Memories of Silver won the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park and the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. As a broodmare, she produced graded stakes winner La Cloche and Winter Memories, who also was a dual Grade 1-winning millionaire. 

Trained by Chad Brown, who saddled Consumer Credit [2015] and Significant Form [2018] to Memories of Silver triumphs, Fluffy Socks makes her 2021 debut after capping her juvenile campaign with a win in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante on November 28 at Del Mar. Piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the bay daughter of Slumber saved ground along the rail toward the rear of the field, angled wide in upper stretch and took command around the eighth-pole, holding off a furious late inside rally from Javanica to win the one-mile event by a half-length. 

A winner of three starts all over different turf courses, Fluffy Socks broke her maiden at second asking going one mile at Kentucky Downs before capturing the Selima over a yielding turf at Pimlico Race Course. 

Ortiz, Jr. has been aboard Fluffy Socks for three of her five starts and retains the mount from post 1. 

Brown also will saddle Don Alberto Stable’s Ingrassia as she seeks a second stakes triumph over her stable mate. 

A Medaglia d’Oro bay, Ingrassia was last seen capturing the Chelsey Flower over a soft outer turf on November 1 at Belmont Park, where she saved ground in between horses around the far turn and had dead aim on Fluffy Socks in mid-stretch. After moving to the inside of her stable mate, Ingrassia took command nearing the sixteenth-pole to win by a nose. 

Following a successful debut win in August at Saratoga, Ingrassia acquired graded stakes black type when finishing second in the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 7 at Keeneland to Aunt Pearl. 

A Kentucky homebred, Ingrassia is out of the Henrythenavigator mare Infanta Branca.

Jockey Jose Ortiz will retain the mount from post 2. 

Trainer Graham Motion, who won the 2017 Memories of Silver with Party Boat, will send out Gainesway Stable’s Oyster Box after a late-closing third in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs. 

The chestnut daughter of Tapit arrived at the Florida Oaks off two victories in as many starts, breaking her maiden on October 3 over the Belmont Park inner turf and defeating winners on January 6 at Tampa Bay Downs going one mile. 

Oyster Box was 9 ½ lengths off the pace in the Florida Oaks while saving ground toward the rear of the field. She made a wide bid in upper stretch to finish third beaten 2 ½ lengths to Counterparty Risk and Jouster, who subsequently captured the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland.

“We took the conservative route in Florida by going in the allowance race and wanted that to be sort of a prep for the Florida Oaks,” Motion said. “She ran well in the stakes race given that she didn’t get the most perfect trip. She was shuffled back a bit further than we had preferred, but it still worked out and she was able to give a good result. She’s pretty adaptable to be honest. Any sort of added distance won’t hurt her and she should handle it.”

Bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte Farm, Oyster Box is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Dyanformer mare Starformer. 

Oyster Box will break from post 5 under Manny Franco. 

Christophe Clement, the leading trainer for the 2020 Big A fall meet, sends out Bubbles On Ice for her North American debut. Owned by Cheyenne Stables, the Irish-bred daughter of Starspangledbanner previously raced in her native country for James Stack, with her most recent effort being a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud on September 13 at The Curragh. 

Bubbles On Ice has trained into her North American debut with some easy five-eighths works over the Payson Park turf, the most recent of which was a 1:04.00 move on April 7. 

“It took her a while to get Americanized, but she’s settled in well,” said Clement, who won the 2019 Memories of Silver with Feel Glorious. “She’s been training well, and you never know for sure how they handle the ground in the U.S., but we’ll find out Sunday.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will pilot Bubbles On Ice from post 8. 

Gary Barber’s Sleek Lynx will see considerable added distance for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. The dark bay daughter of War Front out of Grade 1-winner Sarah Lynx broke her maiden on October 17 at third asking going six furlongs over the Woodbine turf. She was a last out fifth beaten two lengths in the Melody of Colors on March 20 going five furlongs at Gulfstream Park. 

Breaking from post 4, Sleek Lynx will be ridden by Junior Alvarado. 

Rounding out the field are Whisper Hill Farm’s stakes-placed New York-bred Frost Me [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer John Kimmel and Richie’s World Stables’ recent maiden winner Bravo Regina [post 7, Eric Cancel] for trainer Juan Vazquez. 

Augustin Stables’ Song of Innocence [post 6] has been entered for main track only. 

The Memories of Silver is slated as Race 8 on Aqueduct’s nine-race Closing Day program. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the 11-day spring meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.