Winter Memories Preview: Duopoly Lone Speed Threat

SOUTH OZONE PARK, NY – Klaravich Stables’ Duopoly faces a favorable pace setup and could threaten as lone speed lined up to contest Sunday’s $100,000 Winter Memories Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Winter Memories is a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route restricted to 3-year-old fillies. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 10-race card and has a local post time of 3:47 PM.

Here’s a look at the full field for the Winter Memories:

1. Speaktomeofsummer 2/1 – She won the Chelsey Flower Stakes over the local inner turf last November and found her way back into the winner’s circle in July’s Lake Placid Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. She finished second in the Sands Point Stakes (G2) last time out despite steadying away from traffic troubles in the stretch and should enjoy stretching back out a bit.

2. Selflessly 9/2 – The first of two Brown entries sporting the Klaravich Stables silks, she already a pair of graded stakes wins on her resume, courtesy of the 2019 Miss Grillo (G2) and August’s Lake George (G3). Though each of her past 4 starts came going 1 mile, the Miss Grillo was this same slightly longer distance, so she should have no trouble.

3. Vigilantes Way 7/2 – She nearly made it 3 straight scores last time out when she rallied from well off the pace over a yielding lawn to finish second by a 1/2-length in the Hilltop Stakes. The Shug McGaughey trainee won her lone prior turf attempt, a 1 1/16-mile allowance route at Colonial Downs, and she has tactical speed to sit wherever John Velazquez wants.

4. Faccio Io 10/1 – The well-traveled Christophe Clement trainee was bred in Great Britain but made all 5 prior starts in Italy before shipping across the Atlantic for her inaugural stateside run here. She won 3 times overseas, including 1 stakes, but both defeats came when routing on softer turf against group stakes rivals, so she must turn those around in a big way.

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5. Duopoly 7/2 – The second Klaravich/Brown entry won 2 straight this summer, wiring maidens at Monmouth Park before successfully repeating that front-running style against Saratoga allowance rivals. She finished fifth in the Valley View Stakes (G3) last time out while failing to hold early command, but she faces a much more favorable pace setup here.

6. High Opinion 15/1 – She broke her maiden at third asking last time out, fighting gamely in the stretch to neck out victory in a 7-furlong Belmont Park. The Tony Dutrow trainee is bred to handle stretching out in distance and keeps Eric Cancel aboard for the second straight time, but this is a big test for any filly making her first start against winners.

7. Crystalle 8/1 – She makes her second start back after spending nearly 11 months away from the track and returning with a fourth-place finish while going 1 1/16 miles on Belmont Park’s inner turf. Prior to her extended break, she crossed the wire first or second in each of her first 3 starts before finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

8. Thankful 1/1 (Main Track Only) – Should the race come off the turf, she stands as good a chance to win as anyone who stays in the field. Though she waited until May of this year to make her debut, she broke her maiden at third asking while going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga in August, then repeated that success against allowance foes in a 1-mile Belmont Park dirt event.

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