Ultimate Love back in action in Listed Memories of Silver

Live Oak Plantation’s Florida homebred Ultimate Love will look to build upon a strong juvenile campaign when making her seasonal bow in Sunday’s Listed $150,000 Memories of Silver, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, on Closing Day of the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, the daughter of Curlin was last seen finishing a troubled-trip fifth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on October 31 at Del Mar. There, she was defeated three lengths after breaking from the rail and stalking in sixth-of-12 before enduring some bumping when shifting out for her bid near the five-sixteenths marker.

Trombetta said Ultimate Love was likely hindered by a speedy turf course that weekend in Southern California.

“It was a little disappointing because I really thought we had a chance to win it, but I think that turf course really helped carry speed,” Trombetta said. “Obviously the Breeders’ Cup is a big ask, but I think she was at a disadvantage by the speed of the track.”

Ultimate Love, who has made all four of her outings on turf, was a perfect 3-for-3 heading into the Breeders’ Cup, beginning with a debut graduation going one-mile in July at Colonial Downs. She followed with a 6 3/4-length trouncing of a first-level optional claimer going the same distance in September at Laurel Park ahead of her first stakes win when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in the Selima three weeks later. She has earned field-best Beyer Speed Figures of either 80 or 81 in her last three outings.

“We were delighted with her last year, and hopefully we can get her up and running again here,” Trombetta said. “This is a nice place to start back. I think she can handle further distances, but you like to start out with something that won’t put too much pressure on them.”

Ultimate Love has plenty of dirt influence being by Curlin and out of the Bernardini mare Tsunami of Love, but her second dam, My Typhoon, was a multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire over the grass.

Trombetta said Ultimate Love has been a professional since Day One.

“She just did all the right things,” Trombetta said. “We were getting ready to run her and I would have thought with her pedigree that she would handle the dirt fine, but we moved her over to the synthetic and worked her a few times over it and she seemed to hit a new gear. We figured we’d get het started on the turf and she seemed to handle it really well.”

Ultimate Love returned to the work tab in mid-March, and has worked steadily at Fair Hill in the weeks since, including a half-mile breeze in 48.80 seconds over the all-weather on April 18.

“Mentally, she’s always been good, so I don’t see any change this year, but physically, I’m happy with the way she came back from the farm,” Trombetta said. “She’s trained very well and we’re happy with her. A little bit of a break did her some good, and I think she’s ready to go.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard for the Breeders’ Cup, returns to the saddle from post 3.

Chiefswood Stables’ Ontario homebred Piper’s Gift [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] rides a three-race win streak into her sophomore debut for trainer Dale Desruisseaux.

The Yorkton bay makes her first start outside Woodbine Racetrack, and returns to turf after making each start in her win streak over the Tapeta. She began her run of good form with a third-out graduation by eight lengths in a six-furlong sprint in September ahead of back-to-back stakes victories in the seven-furlong Listed Glorious Song in October and the 1 1/16-mile restricted Princess Elizabeth last out on November 29.

The versatile filly, who has won with prominent and stalking trips, is out of the stakes-placed Silent Name mare Piper’s Legacy, a half-sister to stakes-winner Piper’s Thunder and dual stakes-placed Piper’s Future.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Quiet Street [post 7, Jose Lezcano] earned a graded placing over the Big A turf as a juvenile when third in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in October for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The Street Boss chestnut won her first two starts last year, taking a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint maiden on debut in August at Saratoga Race Course and following with a one-length score in Kentucky Downs’ 6 1/2-furlong Untapable in September. The deep-closing filly then tried her luck in graded company in the 1 1/16-mile Miss Grillo in October, and came up 2 1/2 lengths shy of victory after she was carried out by a drifting rival in front of her in the stretch.

Quiet Street stretches out from a flat eighth-place finish in her seasonal debut on April 10 in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Limestone at Keeneland. She is out of the winning Tapit mare Serene, a half-sister to stakes-placed Iberville. Her second dam, the dual Grade 1-placed Fascinating, is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Bodemeister.

Michael Dubb, William Lawrence, The Elkstone Group and Michael Kisber’s Fitz Right [post 4, Flavien Prat] returns to stakes company off a stalking optional claiming victory on January 18 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Charlatan chestnut dominated last out with her 5 1/2-length score, landing her first victory against winners two starts after breaking her maiden going one-mile in September at the Meadowlands. Those efforts surrounded an off-the-board finish in the local 1 1/16-mile Listed Chelsey Flower in November where she prompted the pace and weakened in the latter stages.

Brown will look for a record-extending fifth win in this event following past success with Consumer Credit [2015], Significant Form [2018], Consumer Spending [2022], and Sweet Rebecca [2024].

A $200,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Fitz Right is out of the Grade 3-winning Henny Hughes mare I’m a Looker, and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Eliminate.

Woodland Way’s Grade 3-placed Imperatrice [post 8, Manny Franco] makes her turf debut after a distant off-the-board finish in the one-mile Grade 2 Davona Dale on February 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the City of Light dark bay debuted with a second over the main track here in October and graduated next up in a one-mile maiden tilt in December at Gulfstream. She made her next two starts at the south Florida oval, including a prominent second to On Time Girl in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Forward Gal in January ahead of the Davona Dale.

Imperatrice worked three times over the Palm Beach Downs dirt after her last effort, and headed north to Belmont Park to record her most recent work over the dirt training track when covering a half-mile in 49.42 on April 19.

A $500,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Imperatrice is out of the Scat Daddy mare Dolce Lili, a stakes-winner over the turf.

Completing the field are Group 3-placed Smexy [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Brendan Walsh, two-time winner Oscar Bound [post 9, Shaun Bridgmohan] for trainer Melanie Giddings, and maiden-winners Y’allreadyforthis [post 1, Edgard Zayas] for trainer Antonio Arriaga and Full of Tact [post 2, Jorge Vargas, Jr.] for conditioner Gustavo Rodriguez.

Point of Reference and Hot Gossip have been entered for the main track only.

The Memories of Silver is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s nine-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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