Winter Sunset Continues Family Legacy at Fair Grounds

Expectations are always high with a well-bred horse, and Winter Sunset took her connections' hopes up a notch with a victory in the $60,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Running for Coffeepot Stables and Phillips Racing Partnership, the 3-year-old daughter of Tapit  broke a step slow under jockey Channing Hill while Cypress Point took command of the race through slow fractions of :26.10 and :52.23.

Winter Sunset was caught six wide around the far turn but nevertheless took the lead at the top of the stretch. Graded stakes winner and 2-5 favorite Elsa battled her down the stretch, but Winter Sunset was able to keep her foe at bay, edge clear, and win under a hand ride by 1 1/2 lengths in a time of 1:42.34.

Elsa held for second and Naughty Me got up for third. 

The inquiry sign was posted not long after the race due to some light interference between the top two down the stretch, but after only a few minutes of observation, track stewards allowed the result to stand.

"I really thought I had the best horse, so I figured I could do whatever I wanted to," Hill said. "Obviously those aren't the circumstances that you want to be in, but I wasn't concerned. When I was a length away from (Elsa), I kind of treated it like a public workout. This is by far one of the best turf horses, period, that I've been around. Even today, she was a little green about coming home. I figured that she had it at the top of the lane, but when she poured it on at the eighth pole, that's what was impressive."

Trained by Wayne Catalano, Winter Sunset comes from a top-level family cultivated by the Phillips family of Darby Dan Farm. Her dam, Winter Memories, won the 2011 Garden City Stakes (G1T) and the 2012 Diana Stakes (G1T). Her granddam, Memories of Silver, won the 1996 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) and the 1997 Beverly D. Stakes (G1T).

Winter Sunset is unbeaten in two starts. She broke her maiden in November over the Fair Grounds turf in gate-to-wire fashion by 4 1/4 lengths. Her career earnings were enhanced to $61,200.

"She stepped slow away from there, but that comes with inexperience," Catalano said. "She's only run once. She didn't break real sharp. I was not worried, actually. We thought all along that she's a good one. Obviously when you have the pedigree that she has, everyone thinks high hopes, but she still has to go out there and do it, and she has."

Catalano has some high ambitions for his rising star and will discuss her next move with the owners.

"We'll talk things over with Mr. (Bob) Cummings and Annette (Bacola) and obviously Mr. John Phillips, and we'll make a decision," Catalano said.

Winter Sunset was bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership.

The Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes is named in honor of the late wife of jockey Corey Lanerie who passed away following a battle with breast cancer in June 2018. She held several positions at the racetracks while her husband was race riding, including serving as a tab writer with the clocker at Lone Star Park, a mutuel clerk at Fair Grounds, and a photographer's assistant at Churchill Downs.

Video: Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight S. (BT)