Silks Run ($100.000 Purse)
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
March 18, 2023
It’s a slower weekend this week, but that does not mean that we don’t have anything to talk about! Here, we’re going to take a quick look at the Silks Run, an ungraded turf sprint for older horses at GP. This is a race that first appeared on the schedule in 2015, and only for a $75.000 purse. It would be increased to its current level last year, a race that was won by Shakespearean, for Mb Stables. That gelding won bigger races over his career and remains active at this time, though he seems to have lost a step. There are eleven going to post, here’s a bit of an abbreviated look at them.
#1- Reds Gone (Nj Vets, ridden by Al Gonzalez)- Makes his stake debut here, which based on his recent races would be a bit of a surprise. Reds Gone has only made one start since late July and was a non-factor in that optional claimer at FG last month. Whatever has encouraged the trainer to enter him here will need to be on fully display here in the race for him to have a shot.
#2- Last City (Lemax Farms, ridden by C Sutherland)- There’s nothing wrong with the form on this one, including a third-place effort in the BC Turf Sprint four months ago. He has two stakes wins since, including the GP Turf Sprint here last month. That’s a race a lot like this one, only that it has a Grade 3 classification with it. More of the same, and he’ll be fine.
#3- Elijah G (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Raindrops have been following this one around of late, with four of his last five starts coming on off tracks. That might change here with the rain chance only at 24% right now, but if the weather gods realize he’s here, maybe that goes up. This gelding has made over $1,000.000 for his career, and also ran in the BC Turf Sprint last November. His only start after that was an allowance win.
#4- Z Baby Blue (Asgar, ridden by E J Wilson)- Ran in the Turf Dash last month, and picked up the win. For Z Baby Blue, it was just the second time he had been in a stake, with the other one being the 2022 Turf Dash. He’s currently riding a two-race winning streak, as well as three of four, making him one that we can’t disregard here even with more recognizable names present.
#5- Mystery (Fractious, ridden by J Stein)- He’ll be remembered from being in bigger races, but he has been a turf standby for a year and a half now. He’s been inconsistent over that period, showing what he was capable of when he won the Grand Prairie Turf Challenge at LS last July, but that just has not happened enough. Always a threat if his side shows up, but this field is too deep for me to hope for it.
#6- Roman Rage (Gdp Inc, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- The nine-year-old gelding has earned over $1,700.000 for his career and showed he still has it when he won his only start of 2023 thus far, an optional claimer at FG which was also his 20th win. He was struggling prior to that race, but confidence is renewed to run him here. Let’s hope it wasn’t a last hurrah for him.
#7- Express Majestic (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by Edg Perez)- Since being acquired by Hawaiian Shirt Guy, Express Majestic has only finished first or second over his five starts. Those have been long sprints or over a mile, so it is a little surprising to see him cutting back on distance to run for $100.000 based on that form. He is one that likes to jump out to the lead, so it may prove to be a great call, too.
#8- Majestic Moon (Riggins Racing, ridden by J R Leparoux)- For the first time in his career, Majestic Moon will be running two races for the same trainer. He ran for Riggins in a $50.000 ungraded stake at TUP last month and failed to hit the board in that main track event. The horse may be confused by the fact that he was not sold after the race. Maybe he can stick around in this barn, now.
#9- Silver Woman (Allinthegate, ridden by Rey Arrieta)- Looks like we have a filly in the… wait, no we don’t! I promise, this is a male, though fittingly, is a gelding. As for his racing ability, he’s made one start running second at DMR in July, and that was in a $100.000 ungraded stake at FG last month, where he was second again. Though they are not all that level, he has impressively hit the board in ten of his eleven starts.
#10- Southern Fame (Mojica Racing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Picked up in the December auction for $10.020, Southern Fame has gone two-for-two with Mojica. Both of those came in optional claimers, but this is a horse with stake experience even including a third place BC Turf Sprint effort back in 2020. Mojica probably isn’t expecting that from him, but if he can return to having stake success, it was a steal of an auction purchase.
#11- Cover Photo (Axeman, ridden by E J Zayas)- A horse that knows how to win, doing so in twelve of his 23 career starts. He’s also on a great stretch with seven victories in his last nine races. There’s a handful of stakes in that group, highlighted by the Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap at PRX. Last month, he ran second in the GP Turf Sprint, and is ready to flip the script from that race on Last City even with that one having a more preferable post.
Prediction: 11-2-3-9
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
