Midnight Memories goes last to first in Zenyatta Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Midnight Memories has come a long way since her career debut only five months ago, and Saturday at Santa Anita she ran a long way to win the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes.

Despite a slow start and wide trip, Midnight Memories ($5.20 favorite) won the $200,000 Zenyatta by 3 1/4 lengths over Awake at Midnyte. Empire House, Soothsay and Samurai Charm completed the order of finish in a race unlikely to produce a starter for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

The 1:45.07 final time was the slowest in the 28-year history of the 1 1/16-mile race. There was more to the winner’s effort than the clock, and trainer Bob Baffert gave plaudits to jockey Ramon Vazquez for staying cool.

“She didn’t break that well,” Baffert said, “Ramon was real patient with her. He kept her in a nice rhythm the whole way.”

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Midnight Memories, who raced gate to wire last out winning the Grade 3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar, stumbled to be away last in the Zenyatta. Vazquez stayed cool as rivals Soothsay, Awake at Midnyte and Samurai Charm contested the slow early pace (48.26).

Vazquez allowed Midnight Memories to engage three-wide at the half-mile and stayed outside into and through the far turn. She ran away the final furlong. The win was her fourth from five starts. Not bad for a filly who did not make her career debut until this April.

“We just took our time with her, she was slow coming around,” Baffert said. “She’s by Mastery, we know how good he was, and out of a really good mare that I trained.”

Mastery won all four starts for Baffert including the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in 2016. The filly’s dam, Tiz Midnight, won the Grade 2 Bayakoa in 2014 for Baffert and owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. They kept Tiz Midnight, bred her to Mastery, and in Midnight Memories they own the sire’s first stakes winner.

Midnight Memories earned $120,000 to increase her earnings to $286,680.

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