How to bet the Winter Memories Stakes

An overflow field of 15 sophomore fillies have been entered for Friday’s $150,000 Winter Memories S. at Aqueduct. The opening-day feature will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the lawn and features numerous viable win threats, although I will focus on a pair of deep-closing types in an affair where the pace will be honest at the very least. 

Winter Memories Wagers

• $2 exacta 6,9 with all ($36)
• 50-cent trifecta 6,9 with 6,9 with all ($8)
• 50-cent trifecta 6,9 with all with 6,9 ($8)

Two-time stakes heroine #9 Nice as Pie put in a stout late run when eventually falling just short in the Penn Oaks in her latest assignment, and the Kelsey Danner pupil seems poised to give a good account of herself in this spot. The Tapiture homebred dominated racing on the all-weather at Turfway in the winter when rolling home to four wins in succession, and she has easily handled the transition to the turf, as well. 

Nice as Pie is a half-brother to a stakes winner on the green and will be tough to fend off late if she moves forward in her local bow. She will be unhurried early on before doing her best work in the lane beneath Adam Beschizza. 

I’m also quite intrigued by the Brendan Walsh-trained #6 Cloudwalker in the heat. More Than Ready filly owns just an allowance win in four starts following her sharp maiden tally at Keeneland in October, but the consistent late runner has never run a bad one and she gets more ground to work with for the initial time. The Kentucky-bred three-year-old has a bit of tactical speed that she has displayed in sprints on the lawn, but she still does her best work from off the early tempo, and she will employ the same running style on Friday. I expect her to thrive in her first run beyond 5 1/2 furlongs with Jose Lezcano in the silks. 

This field is quite deep, and I feel most or all in the race are capable of making a big impact at the wire, so I will wheel my top two with the remaining eight in the cast.