Significant Form dominates Memories of Silver Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Significant Form made a smashing return to the races Sunday at Aqueduct, taking the lead soon after the start and galloping to a 6 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Memories of Silver Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

As he jumped off the filly, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, “That’s a serious horse.”

Significant Form was making her first start since running fourth to her more heralded and undefeated stablemate, Rushing Fall, in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. And while she came from off the pace in her races last year, Significant Form went gate to wire in this spot, owing to a great break from the gate.

“That wasn’t the plan,” Ortiz said. “When the doors opened everything changed. She broke so good, I don’t want to take that away from her by fighting too much with her, so I let her be there.”

Ortiz added that trainer Chad Brown “gave me the confidence when the doors opened to do what I want. I felt that was what I had to do today.”

Significant Form scooted around the Aqueduct turf course in fractions of 25.06 seconds for the quarter, 48.98 for a half-mile, 1:11.65 for six furlongs. Significant Form, a daughter of Creative Cause owned by the former model and actress Stephanie Seymour Brant, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.85 and returned $3.30 to win.

“When she went to the lead and got it so easily, what are you going to do?" said Whit Beckman, assistant to Brown. “Let it happen, don’t take it away, that worked out perfectly.”

Speaking of the final time, Beckman said, “I know the course is fast, but that’s no joke. That was impressive. Happy to have her back.”

Ortiz believes the 2018 version of Significant Form is an improved version of last year’s model.

"She’s a lot different than last year,” Ortiz said. “[Last year], she was still a little green mentally, getting out sometimes on the turns, drifting. Now, she’s straight forward. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with her.”

Beckman was also happy with the performance put in by Wealth Effect, who rallied to be second by a half-length over Sweet Sting. Wealth Effect was sent off at a whopping 20-1.

“That was exactly how we operated that, was having her finish second,” he said. “She’s had a winter [campaign] up here on the dirt knowing she’s a turf filly. We thought this was a great spot to bring her back; couldn’t have run any better and Javier [Castellano] did a fantastic job.”

Brown won all three races he was in at Aqueduct on Sunday as well as the only race he was in at Keeneland. Brown won his first Aqueduct spring meet title with 15 wins from 39 starters. Linda Rice finished second with 11 wins.

For Ortiz, he won three races on the card and won his second straight Aqueduct spring riding title with 24 wins. Manny Franco finished second with 17 wins.

Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables was leading owner with five wins.