Silks Run ($100.000 Purse)
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
March 19, 2022

The Silks Run will be kicking off this Saturday for the seventh time in its history, and it will be the first installment of the race that features a triple digit purse. This five furlong turf sprint brings together a field of eight who have had varying degrees of success over their careers. That includes a horse who just four months ago ran second in the BC Mile. Last year, Maximilian Farm won the second of his two editions of the stake, coming with One Man Show. The gelding is still active, but has not won since and is now in the hands of Spankys Barn. Let’s take a quick look at those who wish to become the next name added to the list!

#1- Doom (Rampage Stable, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Over his 20 race career, this gelding has been rather inconsistent, but perhaps the recent switch to the grass is beginning to fix that. He has been entered in some great races over his career, such as the Crosby and Malibu, but they were not his best efforts. This will be his first race of 2022, coming off of two allowances where he cashed a check for the trainer. By the way, what’s up with I Ortiz Jr being off to such a slow start at this track?

#2- Kathmandu (Angelos Stable, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Where will he be going to? Well, he hopes he will be getting out of the starting gate and getting to the wire first, and if he does it will be the 12th time he did so. Over the last twelve months, he has been perfect at hitting the board, starting in claimers but also including the Grade 2 Woodford. Won the Pulse Turf Sprint two starts back at HOU, and will be very hard to defeat here.

#3- Affirmed Authority (Asgar, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Raced here last month in the Grade 3 GP Turf Sprint, and ended up second in the race, missing by a length to the one starting right to his outside here. As close as they were, there is no reason to think that he can’t turn the tables on Mystery here. Still lightly raced in comparison to the rest of the field, and it would be his first stake win if he pulled it off.

#4- Mystery (Fractious, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Defeated Affirmed Authority last month in the GP Turf Sprint, and it would be his third straight victory. Since moving to the grass, and going back to sprinting, he has won three of six races, and appears to be in the type of groove that the trainer may have been waiting for him to finally get into for a little while. He’s always shown the ability to be great, but never won two in a row before the current run began.

#5- Roman Rage (Gdp Inc., ridden by P Lopez)- In October, he narrowly missed out in the Shadwell Turf Mile, placing second by a neck. A month later, he ran in the BC Mile ,and finished second in that race, too. So, more of the same, right? Well, not really, as he was dropped into an open allowance, which in December you can still understand, and he won. Great! But he’s still been waiting to be moved up into the graded ranks, and still won’t happen here. Second last month in the $100.000 Colonel Power at FG. Gets some tough competition here if the trainer needs more confidence in him to move him back up.

#6- Shakespearean (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Last month, this four year old gelding ran at TAM for the Turf Dash, and placed second, making his career record be three wins, three places and three shows in nine starts. You don’t get any more evenly distributed than that! Since being gelded, he’s run against better, including a couple grade two’s. The question will be now, which column gets the “four” in it first? Each them after finishing second before, he ran third to follow.

#7- Wine Critic (Avenue Z, ridden by J J Castellano)- Doesn’t have the career earnings like others do, mainly because he was stuck at the free track for so long, as another example of how the racing at the free track is better than some think. Avenue Z claimed him from Spinetingling for $7.500, and was not deterred in moving him forward despite a lack of wins. He eventually for that first win for this new trainer, beating Shakespearean in the TAM Turf Dash.

#8- Lucinda (Alydar Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- Making the 35th start of his career, and the first 31 of them came on the dirt, and he did well on the surface. However, Alydar proved that you can teach an older horse new tricks, successfully moving him to the grass, where he has been for his last three races. There is one stake in there, where he placed third in the Pulse Turf Sprint, and he comes here off of winning an allowance. Historically a better bet to pick second than to pick first.

Prediction: 4-2-6-3

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded