Winter Memories Stakes
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Queens, New York, United States
| Class | Grade III |
|---|---|
| Location | Aqueduct Racetrack Queens, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 2016 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | NYRA |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-old fillies |
| Weight | 124 lbs with allowances |
| Purse | $150,000 (since 2024) |
The Winter Memories Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies over a distance of one mile on the turf held annually in September at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000.
The event is named after Darby Dan Farm owner John Phillips' multiple-Grade I winning mare Winter Memories. This gray mare won five graded stakes events at Belmont Park. In her last competitive race at Saratoga Racetrack the mare won the Grade I Diana Stakes.[1]
The inaugural running of the event was on November 25, 2016 over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles and was won by Stuart S. Janney III's My Impression who won the event by a half a length, starting as the 11/4 favorite in a time of 1:44.22.
The event was run on the dirt track due to the conditions of the turf track in 2018 and held at shorter distance of one mile.[2]
In 2023 the distance of the event was decreased to one mile.[2] The event was also moved in the fall schedule from November and held in mid September.
Several entrants who have run in this race have won Grade I events. The 2020 winner Duopoly won the GI American Oaks in her next start.[3] The 2023 winner Sacred Wish the following year won the GI Matriarch Stakes as a four-year-old.[4]
In 2025 the event was upgraded to Grade III by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.[5]
Records
Speed record:
- 1 mile: 1:35.46 – Sacred Wish (2023)
- 1+1⁄16 miles: 1:43.16 – Feel Glorious (GB) (2019)
Largest margin of victory:
- 3 lengths – Salimah (IRE) (2022)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 2 – Irad Ortiz Jr. (2017, 2020)
- 2 – Manuel Franco (2018, 2021)
- 2 – Jose L. Ortiz (2016, 2022)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 3 – Chad C. Brown (2017, 2020, 2022)
- 3 – Christophe Clement (2019, 2021, 2024)
Most wins by an owner:
- No owner has won this race more than once.