OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It was the late turn of foot Les Reys displayed in France that, on the advice of his brother Nicholas, convinced trainer Christophe Clement to purchase Les Reys and bring her to the United States.
It was her late turn of foot that made Les Reys a winner of her North American debut Thursday at Aqueduct as, under Joel Rosario, she split horses in the stretch and outfinished pacesetting 43-1 longshot Ori and late-running favorite Dynamic Pricing to win Friday’s $150,000 Winter Memories Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by a half-length on opening day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
Ori, who, despite being four-deep on the also-eligible list, drew into the field, held second by a head over Dynamic Pricing, the 6-5 favorite, who was five wide in the stretch.
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Les Reys had rallied from well off the pace to win a handicap race over soft ground and a listed stakes over firm ground at Longchamp in France during the spring. When she first came to the U.S., Clement was planning to run Les Reys in the Lake Placid at Saratoga in mid-August, but she developed an infection and was forced to miss that race, making this the back-up plan.
Breaking from the inside post with the scratches of Macanga and Zo Lee, Rosario kept Les Reys glued to the rail or the early part of the race, though right behind a hard to handle Cloudwalker. Ori, breaking from the outside under John Velazquez, had established the early pace and Les Reys was seventh, about 6 1/2 lengths off the pace after a half-mile in 48.51 seconds.
Midway down the backstretch, Rosario guided Les Reys off the rail and he was following Dynamic Pricing, who, under Irad Ortiz Jr., was launching a bid going into the far turn. But while Ortiz had to go wide, Rosario kept Les Reys toward the inside, found a seam to split horses twice and was able to get up in the final 50 yards.
“I was following one horse in front of me, he slowed down, I tried go inside but it closed on me so I had to not ride her, let her do her thing,” Rosario said. “It worked out. She handled everything.”
Les Reys, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Peter Leidl, and Winters Equine, covered the mile in 1:35.95 over firm turf and returned $14.60 as the third choice in the field of nine.
“She had a great turn of foot in France that was the reason my brother kept telling me to buy her,” Clement said. “She had a great trip on the inside. … She always showed a great turn of foot in the morning. She’s nice, she’s exciting.”
Following Dynamic Pricing in the order of finish were Poolside With Slim, Proctor Street, Whiskey Decision, Lady de Berry, Ready to Jam, and Cloudwalker.
Macanga and Mixologist scratched from the Winter Memories to run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks. Trainer Kelsey Danner scratched both Nice as Pie and Zo Lee and said that Nice as Pie is entered in the Grade 2, $300,000 Presque Isle Masters on Sept. 20 while Zo Lee will be pointed to an allowance race at Keeneland when that meet opens in early October. Vino Rouge was also scratched.
Clement said he would prefer to keep Les Reys at a mile and will consider the Grade 3, $350,000 Valley View for 3-year-old fillies at a mile at Keeneland on Oct. 20.
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