Moonshine Memories to visit Spa for Prioress Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – Moonshine Memories, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2017, on Thursday won for the first time in three starts this year, taking an allowance race for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar.

The win confirmed plans to send her to Saratoga for the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes on Sept. 3. The $250,000 Prioress is run at six furlongs, a distance Moonshine Memories may prefer at this stage of her career, trainer Simon Callaghan said.

“I think six furlongs might be better for her than 6 1/2,” he said. “The way she is, she’s definitely more of a sprinter.”

Moonshine Memories ($3) was fully extended to win on Thursday. She faced early pressure from Show It N Moe It on the backstretch and from Steph Being Steph in the stretch before winning by a head under jockey Flavien Prat.

Last year, Moonshine Memories won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs and the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita before finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar.