Menard Memorial Stakes ($100.000 Purse)
FG- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Five and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
January 10, 2026
It’s time for me to kick off another year of SRF coverage, and that will start with the eighth running of the Menard Memorial Stakes, which is a turf sprint for older females. The race does not carry a particularly large purse and only reached triple digits for the first time in 2023. Twice, we have seen horses win back-to-back editions of the race, with Trippi Sprinkle accomplishing this in 2021 and 2022 for Gdp Inc, and then Great Beneficiary did so for Smokey Stover in 2023 and 2024. Last year, this race was technically held in 2024 as well, coming at the end of December. It was won by Lwaxana, for Alydar Stables, and she will be looking to be the third two-time Menard winner on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the field of six that are taking part!
1- Pelucha (Avenue Z, ridden by F Geroux)- With 33 races under her belt, this mare is set to begin her six year old season, and it comes after a winless 2025. She had her moments in a couple open allowances where she ran second, and does come here off a third place run in the Zareta right here in November. Pelucha has plenty of stake experience, but you have to dig back deep to find such races that she won. No victories in anything since October 2023.
2- Jinkzy (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- Jinkzy has spent most of her career running long, and it was at such distances where she has found her two career wins. The last one came in an allowance at WO in June, an effort that saw the trainer attempt the Grade 3 Lake George at SAR. She was a non-factor in that, and has not been able to make a mark in any of the stakes she has attempt. In overnights, she is a lot more competitive, so don’t tell her this is a stake.
3- When Doves Cry (Big Jd Racing, ridden by B Curtis)- No one in this field has earned more than When Doves Cry, as the five year old mare has a tick over $700.000 in winnings thus far. Overall, she has seven wins, and five of them have come in ungraded stakes. You don’t have to look far back to find the last such victory, as it was back in August in the $150.000 Smart N Fancy at the Spa. Her two races that have followed have been okay, but she seems capable of performing better.
4- Lwaxana (Alydar Stables, ridden by I Castillo)- The most recent edition of the Menard actually came on the day after Christmas in 2024, and it would see Lwaxana winning by a length as a heavy favorite in a field of five. She has not won since, making just six starts after the win and did have a couple of close calls in high track open allowances. However, it is of some concern that her last race, the Zareta here in November, was a dud. She could go back to back, but it won’t be as an approximate 2/5 favorite again.
5- Sneaky Panther (Nakamura Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Finished off her five year old season with back to back wins in open allowances, first at BTP in November, then heading south to TAM a month later. She had been mediocre in a few races that happened before the wins, so a drop down in class was probably good for this horse that at one time raced in the Grade 1 Matriarch. Five of her six wins have been in overnights, but she’ll always be able to say she is a graded winner, as it happened in October 2023.
6- Mollys Sweet Nectar (Xcel Racing, ridden by J L Ortiz)- It’s pretty hard to top Mollys Sweet Nectar’s winning percentage, as she has picked up six wins in eight starts. They weren’t always in the biggest of races, but she has continued to run very well as trainer Xcel Racing has looked to bring her forward. She’s 3-for-4 since the trainer claimed her for $20.000, and won a race much like this one, the $150.000 Galway in August. Even her non-win in the Grade 3 Glen Cove at AQU was a solid effort. A win here could set her off into top graded races as she kicks off her four year old season.
Prediction: 6-4-1-3
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded