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​Juniper’s Moon cuts back in distance in $100K Memories of Silver

by Ryan Martin

Team Spoor’s graded stakes-placed Juniper’s Moon will cut back to one mile in Saturday’s $100,000 Memories of Silver for sophomore fillies over the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack, as veteran conditioner Tony Dutrow is one victory away from a milestone of 2,000 career wins.

The daughter of late international breeding sensation Galileo enters from a third-place finish at 28-1 odds in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 11 going 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs. There, she displayed tactical speed and had the lead at the top of the stretch but was passed by respective one-two finishers Mission of Joy and Alpha Bella. 

The effort, which garnered a career-best 75 Beyer Speed Figure, came one month following a triumphant maiden score at third asking going the Florida Oaks distance over the same course.

“She ran really well down at Tampa Bay. In her maiden, she was more than a little aggressive, but she still won and then I saw no reason whatsoever to not run her back in the Florida Oaks,” said Dutrow, who also saddles Fabulously Funny in a Thursday turf allowance optional claimer at the Big A. “She ran very, very well again, but was awfully aggressive and didn’t help herself. But hopefully as she matures, she’ll let it go, grow up and be less aggressive.

"Since she came back to Belmont at the start of the month, she’s trained in the mornings the way you’d like her to," Dutrow added. "She’s been nice about everything and I’m very happy with how she’s been training since coming back. Cutting back to a mile isn’t perfect, but it works.”

Second on debut over the Aqueduct inner turf, Juniper’s Moon was rerouted to dirt for her following start where she finished a well-beaten sixth. Her dam I’m a Chatterbox, by Munnings, was a three-time Grade 1-winning millionaire on dirt.

“Galileo was arguably as good as, if not the best stud we’ve seen in the last 20 years or so. To me, [Juniper’s Moon] was nothing but turf from the time I got her,” Dutrow said. “We started her off on turf and she ran very well coming from out of it and finished up nice and well. I wanted to have 100 percent focus on her 3-year-old year and that’s why we tried her on dirt in her second start since her mom was a dirt horse. She ran poorly, so we focused only on turf racing with her during her 3-year-old year.”

Bred in Kentucky by Carolyn Gray and Fletcher Gray, Juniper’s Moon was a hefty $725,000 acquisition from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Blandford Stud.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride from post 6.

Siena Farm, Michael E. Kisber, Peter Deutsch and The Elkstone Group’s Queen Picasso enters off a debut victory going 1 1/16 miles on March 5 at Gulfstream Park for trainer Christophe Clement. The bay daughter of Kingman stalked a slow pace from a close second and matched strides with pacesetting Soviet Excess in the stretch before digging in to win by a half-length.

“She’s a nice filly who has trained very forwardly,” said Clement, who previously captured the Memories of Silver with Feel Glorious [2019] and Bubbles On Ice [2021]. “I’m looking forward to seeing her in stakes company. She was impressive breaking her maiden, and she always had been training very easily.”

Bred in Great Britain by D. Farrington and Canning Downs, Queen Picasso is out of the stakes-placed Danroad mare Aris, who also produced Group 1 winner Aclaim. She was purchased for $285,241 at the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 5.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out two debut maiden winners in pursuit of a record-extending fourth Memories of Silver victory.

Klaravich Stables’ Royalty Interest [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] enters from a ground-saving victory on March 11 at Tampa Bay Downs, where the French-bred daughter of Le Havre tracked a close fifth down the backstretch before making a four-wide move around the far turn and powering home a 3 1/4-length winner.

Royalty Interest is out of the stakes-winning Shamardal mare Dusky Queen, who is a half-sister to stakes-winning millionaire Gifts of Gold and multiple graded stakes-placed Achnaha.

Richard Schermerhorn’s Lady Beth [post 2, Flavien Prat] will make her first start on grass following a debut maiden victory over the Gulfstream all-weather surface on February 5. The Hard Spun bay stalked a close second down the backstretch before taking command around the far turn and drawing away to an effortless four-length score.

Bred in Kentucky by J.D. Stuart, P.C. Bance and Godolphin, Lady Beth is out of the multiple stakes-placed Makfi mare Boreale, whose fourth dam is undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign.

Commonwealth New Era Racing’s Bulsara enters as the most seasoned filly with a 7-2-0-0 record, winning over all-weather surfaces both times. Fourth in the local Tepin in November, the Michael Trombetta-trained daughter of Klimt was triumphant at Presque Isle Downs maiden level in October two starts before defeating winners over the Turfway Park synthetic.

Breaking from post 4, Bulsara will be piloted by Joel Rosario.

Completing the field are Alexandria Stable and Carguys Racing’s two-time winner Unified Alliance [post 1, Frankie Pennington] for trainer John Servis, and CJ Thoroughbreds’ Hang the Moon [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], who enters off a close fourth in Fair Grounds’ Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial for trainer Michael Stidham. Unbeaten stakes-winner Downtown Mischief, Balpool and Crypto Mama have been entered for the main track only.

The Memories of Silver honors John and Joan Phillips’ dual Grade 1-winning millionaire, who captured the Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland in 1996 and the Beverly D. at Arlington Park in 1997. Trained by Jimmy Toner, the daughter of Silver Hawk also won prominent stakes in New York such as the 1997 Just A Game at Belmont and the Ballston Spa and Diana in 1998 at Saratoga. As a broodmare, Memories of Silver produced fellow Grade 1-winning millionaire Winter Memories – a black-type producing mare.

The Memories of Silver is carded as Race 2 on Saturday’s nine-race program. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern. 

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