TDN RISING STARS

November 29, 2018 - Fair Grounds, Race 6, Msw, USD $38,000, 7 1/2F

Winter Sunset, F, 2, 2016 by Tapit

1st Dam: Winter Memories (MGISW, $1,268,100), by El Prado (Ire)
2nd Dam: Memories of Silver, by Silver Hawk
3rd Dam: All My Memories, by Little Current

Owner: Coffepot Stables & Phillips Racing Partnership
Breeder: Phillips Racing Partnership (KY)
Trainer: Wayne M. Catalano

Winter Sunset (Tapit) got her career off to a strong start with a front-running debut victory at Fair Grounds Thursday, which was impressive enough to earn her the ‘TDN Rising Star’ moniker. Breaking on top from her rail draw, the gray was a bit green rounding the far turn, but was quickly straightened out and showed the way through opening splits of :24.64 and :49.09. Confronted by two rivals to her outside approaching the bend, the 3-1 shot took the final turn much better than the first and sailed clear in the lane under a quiet ride to win as she pleased by 4 1/4 lengths. Freedom Passage (Verrazano) completed the exacta.

The winner’s dam Winter Memories won a pair of Grade I events on the turf for John Phillips’s operation, just like her mother, fellow millionaire and MGISW Memories of Silver. Winter Memories is a half to GSW La Cloche (Ghostzapper), the dam of MSW Bellavais (Tapit); stakes winners British Blue (Storm Cat) and War Choice (Storm Cat); and the dams of GSW Hawkish (Artie Schiller) and SW Red Lodge (Midshipman), both of whom are ‘TDN Rising Stars’. Winter Sunset is the second foal to make the races out of Winter Memories and her first winner. The 10-year-old mare produced a Tapit colt in 2017 and a filly by the Gainesway stalwart this year. She was bred back to Union Rags.