Jen Pottheiser Photo

Winter Sunset looks to renew family tradition in G3 Lake George

by Ryan Martin

Coffeepot Stables and Phillips Racing Partnership's Winter Sunset will look to notch her first graded stakes win after multiple competitive efforts, heading the Grade 3, $200,000 Lake George over the inner turf on Friday at Saratoga Race Course.

The Wayne Catalano-trained gray or roan daughter of Tapit could be a third generation winner of the one mile event for sophomore fillies. She is out of Winter Memories, who won the 2011 edition and her grand dam, Memories of Silver, won the Lake George in 1996. Both are two-time Grade 1 winning millionaires.

Winter Sunset enters off a game runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Regret over the Churchill Downs turf to Hard Legacy.

Boasting a perfect in-the-money record in five career starts, Winter Sunset was a second-out stakes winner after besting graded stakes winner Elsa in the Shantel Lanerie Memorial on February 9 at Fair Grounds.

Winter Sunset recorded her final work for the Lake George on Sunday morning breezing a half-mile in 47.60 seconds over the Churchill Downs main track.

"She's doing very well. She worked 47 and change this morning and it was very good," Catalano said. "She's moved forward with Beyer and sheet numbers. Channing Hill got off her after her last race and said that it was the best race she had run. She's matured and moved forward."

Prior to the Regret, Winter Sunset was twice third to Concrete Rose, in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 3 Edgewood on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Catalano's son-in-law Channing Hill has piloted Winter Sunset in all of her races and will guide the filly once more when she leaves from post 3.

Trainer Chad Brown will seek a third win in the Lake George when he saddles a trio of fillies for the Lake George, including Peter Brant's Blowout, who scored a victory last out in the Wild Applause over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park. Second in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, the British-bred daughter of Dansili seeks her first graded stakes win.

Bred in Great Britain by Dayton Investments Ltd., Blowout is out of the Deep Impact broodmare Beauty Parlour, who was a Group 1 winner in France.

Blowout will emerge from post 7 and will be ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz.

Also entered for Brown is LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag, who seeks a third career victory after winning the Hilltop on May 18 at Pimlico. The gray or roan War Front filly was a stakes winner last season at Saratoga when breaking her maiden in the P.G. Johnson. She is out of the Unbridled's Song broodmare Diamond Necklace, who is a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Shamardal.

Dogtag breaks from post 4 under Javier Castellano.

Paul Pompa's Regal Glory has struck gold twice at stakes caliber and now seeks a graded stakes win for Brown, breaking from post 1. The chestnut daughter of Animal Kingdom won the Penn Oaks at Penn National last out with a prominent trip, after a pair of runner-up finishes against graded stakes company in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland.

"I would expect [Regal Glory] to be similarly placed," said Brown.

Dogtag and Regal Glory breezed together on the Saratoga main Saturday, covering four furlongs in 48.02.

"They just had a maintenance piece of work and are ready to go," said Brown. "Dogtag's last race was very good off the layoff at Pimlico and she's trained well since. I expect her to move forward."

A homebred, Regal Glory is out of the More Than Ready broodmare Mary's Follies who was a two time graded stakes winner and a half-sister to Night Prowler, who also was a two-time graded stakes winner.

Regal Glory will be ridden by Luis Saez.

Completing the field for the Lake George are The Mackem Bullet [post 2, Tyler Gaffalione], Stillwater Cove [post 6, John Velazquez] and main-track only entrant Espresso Shot [post 5, Eric Cancel].

The Lake George is carded as Race 9. First post for Friday afternoon's program is 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.