Small But Mighty: Runaway Rumour Faces Loaded Field In Winter Memories

Lawrence Goichman's New York homebred Runaway Rumour seeks a return to winning form as part of a deep field assembled for Sunday's $150,000 Winter Memories for sophomore fillies going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the bay daughter of Flintshire enters off a closing second in the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 16 at Belmont Park, where she made up nearly six lengths from the first point of call to miss by a neck to Fluffy Socks.

Runaway Rumour captured her first three lifetime starts, all at Belmont Park. Following a triumph in a state-bred maiden going six furlongs over Belmont's inner turf in May, she defeated New York-bred winners going one mile on the Widener turf five weeks later. She made her stakes debut a winning one, when besting open company in the Wild Applause on June 26 at Belmont.

Abreu said he is hoping for firm footing for Sunday's race.

“I'm more concerned about the weather than anything else. We're supposed to get some rain,” Abreu said. “The horse is doing great though. She came out of her last race in really good shape and had a nice breeze at Belmont the other day. She doesn't need much done with her, she's a small horse.”

Runaway Rumour is out of the multiple stakes-placed Elusive Quality mare Elusive Rumour, who produced stakes-winner Myhartblongstodady who also is trained by Abreu.

Jose Lezcano returns to the irons aboard Runaway Rumour from post 11.

Trainer Graham Motion will be represented by a trio of fillies, including Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown and Team Hanley's Invincible Gal who arrives off a close fourth in the Glen Cove on October 15 at Belmont.

The five-time stakes-placed daughter of Invincible Spirit returns to Aqueduct for the first time since finishing a late-closing second in the Tepin in November 2020. She built on a productive juvenile campaign when picking up second-place finishes in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 15 at Belmont Park and the Virginia Oaks two starts back on August 31 at Colonial Downs.

“She's obviously a very hard-knocking horse,” Motion said. “I'm a little torn with her. I'm almost leaning toward thinking she wants to go short, but she ran so well in the Virginia Oaks going a mile and an eighth.”

Invincible Gal will be piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez from post 10.

Earle I. Mack's Batyah will attempt to shake off 13 months' worth of rust when making her first start since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Jessamine in October 2020 at Keeneland. The dark bay or brown daughter of Pioneerof the Nile displayed a devastating late kick on debut last September at Belmont, rallying from ten lengths off the pace in ninth to win by 2 ¼ lengths over the Widener turf.

“She's been ready to run for a while,” Motion said. “I entered her a few times and got a little unlucky with the weather and races coming off the grass, but from a fitness point she should be ready.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call from post 5.

Rounding out Motion's contingent is Fortune Racing's Bipartisanship who makes her North American stakes debut off a sharp maiden triumph over the Laurel Park turf on October 10. Following a third-place finish at Belmont in her first stateside start, the Bated Breath chestnut made up 13 lengths last out to win at sixth asking by 3 ¾ lengths.

Initially campaigned in Ireland, Bipartisanship earned black type when finishing third at 80-1 odds in the Group 3 Brownstown in July at Fairyhouse to Group 3 winner Pearls Galore, who finished sixth in last Saturday's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile.

“The first time I ran her at Belmont she just walked out of the gate but ran respectfully. I took her to Laurel and she won very comfortably that day,” Motion said. “I thought the effort warranted a try against stakes company. It's one of the last chances to run against straight 3-year-olds. She acts like she can be pretty useful.”

Jevian Toledo will retain the mount from post 8.

Gainesway Stable homebred White Frost will make her first start since January 30 when she captured the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park over next out winners Con Lima and Domain Expertise.

The dark bay daughter of Candy Ride, out of stakes-winner Miss Frost, returns to the Big A for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after breaking her maiden over the inner turf last November.

Breaking from post 6, White Frost will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux will saddle Lazy F Ranch homebred Gam's Mission, who has not raced since finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 8. The Noble Mission bay captured the Grade 3 Regret on May 29 at Churchill Downs three starts back ahead of a close fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 10.

Luis Saez will ride from post 4.

Trainer Christophe Clement will saddle graded stakes winner Plum Ali, who boasts the highest field bankroll with $593,500.

The First Samurai chestnut captured Grade 2 Miss Grillo in her most recent victory. Despite being winless in six starts this season, Plum Ali garnered black type twice this year when finishing third in the Grade 2 Appalachian on April 3 at Keeneland and second in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 3 at Belmont Park. She arrives off a fifth beaten 1 ¾ lengths in the Grade 2 Sands Point.

Manny Franco will ride from post 3.

Completing the field are Quinevere [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche], Bleecker Street [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Miss Dracarys [post 7, Dylan Davis], Out of Sorts [post 9, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], and Flown [post 12, Jose Ortiz].

The Winter Memories honors Phillips Racing Partnership's turf distaffer, who captured the Grade 1 Garden City Handicap in 2011 and the Grade 1 Diana the following year. The Jimmy Toner trained daughter of El Prado, out of fellow Grade 1-winning millionaire Memories of Silver, won seven graded stakes throughout her career and boasts earnings in excess of $1.2 million.
The Winter Memories is carded as Race 8 on Aqueduct's nine-race program. First post is 12:20 p.m.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Bay Storm Seeks Second Stakes Win In Friday’s Glen Cove At Belmont

Trainer Jonathan Thomas is hoping that lightning can strike twice at stakes caliber this Belmont Park fall meet when he sends out Bay Storm for Friday's inaugural running of the $100,000 Glen Cove for sophomore fillies going seven furlongs over the Widener turf at the Elmont, N.Y., track.

Owned by Bridlewood Farm, Bay Storm enters the Glen Cove off a wire-to-wire win in the Christiecat on opening weekend at Belmont, registering a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for the three-length triumph.

The dark bay or brown daughter of Kantharos broke sharply from the hedge in the Christiecat and never relinquished her advantage as she drew clear of the field under Hall of Famer John Velazquez

In her previous trio of starts, Bay Storm came from off the pace, including a two-length maiden score last October at Belmont over eventual winners O' Gotten Girl and Third Draft, the latter of whom was stakes-placed. Following this effort, she did not race until August of this year, where she was a close fifth beaten 1 ¾ lengths against winners over Saratoga's Mellon Turf, ahead of a Christiecat score.

Although Bay Storm has never raced past six furlongs in four lifetime starts, Thomas expressed confidence in his filly's ability to get the distance in the Christiecat.

“When you ride Johnny Velazquez, the instructions are pretty simple,” Thomas said. “He took control of the race, she broke well and settled really nicely on the front end and was able to kick away. She looks like she'll stretch out. We won't take the weather for granted as long as we have good ground and weather.”

Thomas said one mile could possibly be within reach farther down the road.

“It's hard to tell,” Thomas said. “She's out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare [stakes-winner Stormy Regatta] so there's plenty of stamina on the bottom. It'll be up to her. I don't see her being a mile and a quarter, but she could be effective at a mile.”

Luis Saez picks up the mount from post 7.

Shortleaf Stable's Caldee, second in the Christiecat, will attempt to turn the tables on Bay Storm for trainer Brad Cox.

The daughter of veteran stallion More Than Ready saw a considerable cutback in distance from her previous four efforts this year at one mile to a mile-and-a-sixteenth, which included runner-up efforts in the Dueling Grounds Oaks Preview on August 7 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., and the Christiana on July 3 at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.

Second in last year's Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Belmont to Plum Ali in her only graded stakes effort, Caldee defeated winners going one mile on May 28 over the Widener turf in her most recent victory.

Manny Franco will return to the irons from post 3.

Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley's Invincible Gal has been second five times over as many ovals at stakes level and seeks a breakthrough victory for trainer Graham Motion.

Winless in eight starts since a debut win last August at Saratoga, Invincible Gal will cut back for the Christiecat, arriving off a second in the nine-furlong Virginia Oaks on August 31 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. After finishing second in the Tepin last November at Aqueduct, she picked up another runner-up effort off a six-month layoff when second beaten a neck in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly at Belmont on May 15.

Breaking from post 5, Invincible Gal will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

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Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's Honey Pants has earned both of her career victories at Belmont and will vie for her first stakes victory after five previous attempts at that level.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the gray or roan daughter of Cairo Prince was second in the Stewart Manor last fall at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., en route to another runner-up effort in her sophomore bow in the Ginger Brew on January 2 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Honey Pants defeated winners three starts back going six furlongs over the inner turf on June 20, defeating next-out winners Too Sexy, her stablemate, and Time Limit.

Dylan Davis will pick up the mount from post 12.

Completing the field are Alwayz Late [post 1, Jose Ortiz], Orbs Baby Girl [post 2, Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr.], Adelaide Miss [post 4, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Aug Lutes [post 6, Jose Lezcano], Spirit of Bermuda [post 8, Javier Castellano], Miss Dracarys [post 9, Junior Alvarado], Por Que No [post 10, Paco Lopez], and Keeper of Time [post 11, Kendrick Carmouche].

The Glen Cove is slated as Race 7 [3:49 p.m.] on Friday's nine-race program. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Mean Mary May Target Waya, Joe Hirsch At Belmont In October

Alex Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary is 2-for-2 competing in graded stakes races at Belmont Park and could look to extend that streak in the fall, with trainer Graham Motion saying the 5-year-old Scat Daddy mare is a possibility to return to the Elmont-based track.

After running second to winner Santa Barbara in the Grade 1 Beverly D. on August 14 at Arlington Park, Motion said Mean Mary is a possibility to compete in the $300,000 Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Waya for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 3/8 miles on the turf on October 3. But Motion also left open the possibility that she could face males in the $500,000 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic held at 1 1/2 miles on October 9.

“She's good. I do plan to point her to the races at Belmont in October,” Motion said. “I would say both options are on the table.”

Mean Mary overcame challenging circumstances to finish as the Beverly D. runner-up, breaking through the gate and needing to be re-loaded. She still served as the pacesetter and finished strong enough to outkick Lemista by a neck.

“I definitely think it had an effect on her and her style. I thought she was courageous to run on and be second,” Motion said. “It's just disappointing because she didn't run her 'A' race.”

A closer effort to that A-grade race was her gate-to-wire triumph in the Grade 2 New York on the eve of Belmont Stakes Day June 4, when she held off next-out winner Thundering Nights by a nose to win the 1 1/4-mile contest and earn triple-digit speed figures for the third time in her career, garnering a 101 Beyer.

The win helped Mean Mary repeat in the prestigious stake, as she cruised to a 5 1/2-length score in the 2020 edition of the New York in her Belmont debut.

She followed with a thrilling second to Rushing Fall in the 2020 Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga, finishing a neck short in the elusive quest to give Motion his first win in the stakes, but still earned a personal-best 102 Beyer.

Starting her current campaign after ending 2020 with a seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Keeneland, Mean Mary won the Grade 3 Gallorette in May at Pimlico in returning from a five-month freshening before going on to the New York and Beverly D.

While Mean Mary could be running in a stakes at a NYRA track, stablemates Ziyad and Invincible Gal will be skipping potential starts at Saratoga this upcoming week.

Wertheimer and Frere's Ziyad, who was targeting the $120,000 John's Call on Wednesday, will skip that start in favor of additional rest. His previous start was a sixth-place effort in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup on June 4.

“Unfortunately, I can't make that race with him, which is disappointing,” Motion said. “I haven't been happy with him the last week or so; I didn't feel good about doing it. He also got sick, which was part of the problem. He needs more time.”

The British-bred Ziyad, who arrived from Europe last fall and transferred into Motion's care, capped his 2020 with consecutive third-place finishes in the Grade 3 Sycamore at Keeneland and the Grade 3 Red Smith at Aqueduct, respectively. The now 6-year-old Rock of Gibraltar gelding made his seasonal bow in a sixth-place Grade 1 Man o' War finish in May at Belmont before the Belmont Gold Cup.

Invincible Gal, who was possible for the $120,000 Riskaverse on Thursday at Saratoga, will likely target another race closer to where she is training at Motion's base in Fair Hill, Maryland, her conditioner said.

“She probably won't go there,” Motion said. “She's doing fine, but I just think there are probably other spots for her without going back up there.”

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Bye Bye Makes Stakes Debut A Winning One In Soaring Softly

A class boost and increased distance did not faze Bach Stables' Bye Bye, who won by a neck in the fifth running of Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Soaring Softly for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Bye Bye came into her stakes debut off a sharp debut on grass, where she broke her maiden at second asking by 2 ¾ lengths going five furlongs at Gulfstream Park. The talented bay handled a test in company and distance with class for trainer Christophe Clement.

Exiting the outermost post in the 11-horse field, Bye Bye broke on top, but took back slightly in the compact field as 64-1 longshot Lexinator commanded a swift opening quarter in 22.61 seconds over the firm turf with Star Devine to her outside in second.

As the field entered the far turn, a keen Bye Bye moved into third to the outside of the two frontrunners through a half-mile in 45.62. As Lexinator dropped out of contention, first-out maiden winner Star Devine found herself on the lead as jockey Eric Cancel was on an all-out drive aboard Bye Bye with Candace O launching her bid in between horses. At the eighth pole, Bye Bye took command and held off a late rally from multiple stakes-placed Invincible Gal to win by a neck in a final time of 1:21.19.

It was another neck back to third-place finisher Candace O, who garnered more black type after finishing third in the Bourbonette Oaks last out over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park.

Completing the order of finish were Star Devine, Tobys Heart, Can't Buy Love, Hit the Woah, La Libertee, Sleek Lynx, Lexinator and No Ordinary Time.

Clement, who earned his second stakes win of the meet after saddling She's My Type to victory in the April 30 License Fee, expressed some concern with the outside post.

“I'm a firm believer in saving ground, but there's only so much we can do,” Clement said. “She was wide all the way, but she was good enough to overcome it. Eric did the best he could. We knew she was nice and now we know she is very nice. She went from five to seven-eighths very well. This was a very good performance. It's exciting.

“We might try to make her a miler but not too much further than that,” Clement added. “I'll need to think about it a little bit. Let's enjoy the moment and go on from there.”

Cancel said he was impressed with the winning effort from Bye Bye.

“This filly is talented. I wasn't expecting this type of performance for her first time going seven furlongs,” Cancel said. “She kept on trying and never gave up on me, so as long as she was there for me, I was going to still be there for her and it just worked out well. I think she'll just keep on improving. Christophe knows what he's doing with her, and I just hope everything keeps on going the right way.”

Bye Bye rewarded her backers in $2 win payouts of $19 and racked up $55,000 in victory, which over tripled her bankroll to $82,400. Her record now stands at 3-2-0-0.

Bred in Kentucky by Malibu Farm, Bye Bye is out of the Smart Strike mare Garnet, whose third dam was Grade 1-winner Dream Supreme. She comes from the same family as recent turf stakes-placed World Tour.

The Soaring Softly is named in honor of the inaugural winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in 1999. Owned by Phillips Racing Partnership and trained by Jimmy Toner, Soaring Softly was a three-time graded stakes winner at Belmont Park, with all triumphs against graded stakes company. The Kris S. mare captured the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, Grade 2 New York and Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational, all in 1999, en route to a Breeders' Cup win and, subsequently, Champion Grass Mare honors.

Live racing continues Sunday with a nine-race card beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Sunday's Pick 6 will have a carryover of $36,011, starting in Race 4 at 2:32 p.m.

Starting on May 1, Belmont Park re-opened to a limited number of spectators. All admission must be purchased in advance at nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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