Silver State Proves His Mettle

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State (Hard Spun) upped his win streak to six while providing trainer Steve Asmussen with a third GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in the last four years. The historic Met Mile also gave Silver State an automatic spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile should his connections choose that event over the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. By My Standards (Goldencents) rallied to cut the winning margin to a length after missing the break, while stretching-out GI Carter H. hero Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) settled for third. Odds-on Knicks Go (Paynter), last year's Dirt Mile romper and last seen checking in fourth in the lucrative Saudi Cup in February, showed the way before fading to fourth on a rare day when Eclipse-winning conditioner Brad Cox's runners seemed to not be firing their best shots–until the GI Belmont S. at least

Silver State was a fringe player on the 2020 Triple Crown trail, finishing second in the GIII Lecomte S. and third in a division of the GII Risen Star S. before a seventh-place run in the GII Louisiana Derby in March. He reemerged a seven-length romper over Keeneland's almost-a-mile Beard Course in allowance company last October, and hasn't looked back since. The bay cleared his '2X' at Churchill in November, followed by narrow scores in Oaklawn's Fifth Season S. Jan. 23 and Essex H. Mar. 13. He most recently got up by a half-length in the nine-furlong GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 17, pairing up his 101 Beyer Speed Figure top.

Let go as the 57-10 third choice, Silver State broke well enough despite pressure from both sides, and tucked in behind Knicks Go as Mischevious Alex rushed up to apply pressure. Shuffled back a bit and ridden along near a :46.31 half, he looked to be going well heading for home as the favorites knocked heads. Knicks Go floated Mischevious Alex very wide, and that gave Silver State a perfect path if he had the horse. He did, and pushed past the fading Knicks Go, outkicked Mischevious Alex and held safe By My Standards by a length.

“He broke really sharp today and put me in a great spot,” said winning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr., who escaped injury Friday at Churchill Downs when his mount broke through the temporary rail and caused the declaration of a no contest. “I was just a passenger today. He put me where he wanted to be. The rail opened, so I decided to go through it and he gave me the victory… Steve's done a good job with him. He gave him time off. He came back fresh last year and he's the best that he's been right now… The good thing about that horse is that he can do whatever you want to. He's really smart. I'm really impressed with him.”

Hall of Famer Asmussen took the 2018 Met Mile with Bee Jersey (Jersey Town) and 2019 renewal with Mitole (Eskendereya)–both were also piloted by his go-to jock Santana.

“I'm very proud of Silver State, the whole team, and the trip Ricardo gave him and the faith he has in the horse,” said Asmussen. “The Met Mile is an extremely significant win and one of the great races in American racing.

“This is six wins in a row for him. He's an absolutely beautiful Stonestreet bred that Ron Winchell and Mr. [Willis] Horton purchased and have campaigned. Their patience in allowing him to get to this level has been perfect.

“Silver State's one-turn races last year were brilliant. Ricardo knows the horse and has a great amount of confidence in him. He was away cleanly and he was traveling very comfortably. Ricardo's level of confidence in this horse, and it's obviously warranted, had a lot to do with the outcome today.

“This horse takes a step forward with every race. The one thing you really noticed at Oaklawn is every time he went to the wire like he was trying to win. He's a Met Mile winner. We built it up to this point. To be in this position today will give him the credit he deserves. That's the great part about racing. You have to earn it. That's what he did today. The Met Mile was our target since last fall.”

Saturday, Belmont Park
HILL 'N' DALE METROPOLITAN H.-GI, $955,000, Belmont, 6-5, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:35.45, ft.
1–SILVER STATE, 120, c, 4, by Hard Spun
                1st Dam: Supreme (SW-USA, GSP-Can, $162,789),
                                by Empire Maker
                2nd Dam: Mon Belle, by Maria's Mon
                3rd Dam: Regal Band, by Dixieland Band
   1ST GRADE I WIN. ($450,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton Racing LLC;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $535,000. Lifetime Record:
11-7-2-1, $1,765,094. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–By My Standards, 122, h, 5, Goldencents–A Jealous Woman,
by Muqtarib. ($150,000 2yo '18 OBSAPR). O-Allied Racing
Stable, LLC & Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Don Ladd (KY); T-W. Bret
Calhoun. $185,000.
3–Mischevious Alex, 124, c, 4, Into Mischief–White Pants Night,
by Speightstown. ($75,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $140,000 RNA 2yo
'19 OBSAPR). O-Cash is King LLC and LC Racing; B-WinStar
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $100,000.
Margins: 1, 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 5.70, 8.90, 3.55.
Also Ran: Knicks Go, Dr Post, Lexitonian.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Silver State is the 14th highest-level winner for good racehorse sire Hard Spun, whose runners perform at a variety of distances and over both surfaces. Among his recent standouts are 2019 Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run. The late Empire Maker is the broodmare sire of 27 graded winners and, for now, six Grade I winners–he is also the dam sire of current GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun (Into Mischief). Among the six are GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner and GI Belmont S. also-ran Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}).

The winner's dam Supreme was a two-time sprint winner on dirt, but improved significantly when switched to the sod and was a stakes winner and GSP in dashes over that surface. Stonestreet paid $800,000 for Supreme in foal to Giant's Causeway at the 2013 Keeneland January sale. Supreme is out of a full-sister to GI Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. Supreme's 2-year-old Candy Ride (Arg) colt was a $95,000 KEESEP RNA turned $500,000 OBS March purchase by Yuji Hasegawa off a :10 flat breeze. Supreme produced an Uncle Mo colt last May but was not bred back.

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Australia: Randwick Stakes Racing Feast This Friday Night

If field sizes and wagering value are a beacon for horse players, two of Sydney's oldest and most prestigious races at Randwick are a prime attraction this Friday night. The Group 1 Epsom and Metropolitan Handicaps, each inaugurated in the 1860s, have drawn fields of 20 and 18 respectively. Yet, Friday's most anticipated race might be The Premiere Stakes, one of five supporting stakes on tonight's stellar card, as Nature Strip and Classique Legend clash in their final tune-up for the $15 million The Everest.

Sydney's leading trainer, Chris Waller, will saddle an incredible seven runners in the Epsom (G1). While post positions are not a huge impediment at the Randwick mile start, favoritism changed as a result of the draw and now rests with a Waller trainee who will break from the rail. Star of the Seas (4-1) finished third in last year's Epsom – one of four G1 minor placings in the past 12 months, at odds ranging from 11-1 to 30-1. The 6-year-old gelding is finally receiving the respect he deserves atop the market, and few would begrudge him a breakthrough at the elite level.

If there is such a thing as a race within a race, the fillies Probabeel (7-1) and Funstar (10-1) carry a terrific rivalry from their 3-year-old season into the Epsom as newly-turned 4-year-olds. The pair has met six times and share the honors (3-3) in head-to-head clashes. Appropriately, they will be neighbors in the starting gate (18 and 19, with Probabeel losing favoritism as a result). Probabeel and Funstar will be ridden by two of Australia's most accomplished jockeys, Kerrin McEvoy and Glen Boss respectively, who also share a 3-3 scoreline – in Melbourne Cup victories. By coincidence, they have also won the first three runnings of The Everest (McEvoy leads 2-1). Boss captured his first Epsom last year, a prize that has so far eluded McEvoy.

In Friday night's co-feature, Kerrin McEvoy will get a leg-up on the Metropolitan (G1) favorite, Mugatoo (9-5). Since arriving from England in the second half of 2019, Mugatoo has been a gradually growing force in the Australian staying ranks for respected trainer, Kris Lees. The gelded son of Henry the Navigator has won his past three races and is primed for this Group One test at 1-1/2 miles, with regular rider McEvoy declaring Mugatoo to be “the best he's been” in his Australian career. While Mugatoo appears one of the soundest investments on the card, Rondinella (15-1) is ticking over nicely and has been set for this specific target. The mare represents value beneath Rachel King, one of numerous talented female jockeys plying their trade Down Under.

McEvoy's strong book of rides extends to the final prep for The Everest, the world's richest turf race which is now just two weeks away. The Premiere Stakes (like The Everest, at six furlongs) pits a pair of prodigiously gifted sprinters against each other: Nature Strip (4/5) and Classique Legend (2-1). McEvoy rides the latter, a lightly raced gray who was third in last year's Premiere before an unlucky midfield finish in The Everest at just his seventh career start. Classique Legend's resumption from a layoff two weeks ago was breathtaking, as he unleashed a paralyzing burst once hooked into the clear by McEvoy.

Trainer Les Bridge is based at Randwick, where he was the youngest trainer when beginning his career as a 22-year-old – and is now the oldest resident trainer at 82. In the 1980s, Bridge trained the winner of a Golden Slipper (world's richest juvenile race) and a Melbourne Cup (two-mile handicap). The highly respected, veteran conditioner has no hesitation in declaring Classique Legend the best horse he's handled.

In the Premiere – as in the forthcoming The Everest – the horse to beat is Nature Strip, whose raw speed and immense talent are matched only by his enigmatic nature. In a recent “barrier trial” (training race), Nature Strip dumped rider James McDonald at the start and was ordered by stewards to trial satisfactorily before his entry for Friday's race would be accepted. Trainer Chris Waller fulfilled that obligation, but any appearance by Nature Strip creates anticipation on multiple levels: at his best, there is simply no turf sprinter on the planet capable of beating him, but his record of 24:14-3-0 shows that he's more likely to completely bomb than fill a minor placing — he is the epitome of equine “must-see TV.”

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 10:25 p.m. ET / 7:25 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpiresXpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWagerHPIbetAmWager, and BetAmerica. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes: race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway

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McGaughey Looks to Add to Whitney ‘Honor’ Roll

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Following the draw for the GI Whitney S. Wednesday morning, trainer Shug McGaughey answered more questions about his previous Whitney winners than this year’s runner, Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}).

McGaughey, a member of racing’s Hall of Fame since 2004, will try for his fourth victory in Saratoga’s premier dirt race for older horses Saturday with William Farish’s 4-year-old homebred colt.

The chestnut drew in the middle of the strong five-horse field, that features Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike), who has won four straight stakes, and GI Hollywood Gold Cup winner Improbable (City Zip), trained by Bob Baffert. Last year, Baffert won the Whitney with McKinzie (Street Sense).

The Whitney field also includes three-time graded stakes winner By My Standards (Goldencents) and Mr. Buff (Friend Or Foe), the massive New York-bred division champion seeking his first graded stakes victory.

With Whitney winners Personal Ensign (1988) and Easy Goer (1989), both Hall of Famers, and Honor Code (2015) on his vast stakes resume, McGaughey, 69, spent a fair amount of time talking about the present and the past.

Code of Honor was moved up to second in the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby following the disqualification of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) and won last year’s GI Runhappy Travers and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup via the disqualification of eventual GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin).

Code of Honor enters the Whitney following a third-place finish in the GI Runhappy Metropolian H. July 4.

Though the Whitney field is the smallest since Personal Ensign beat just two others 32 years ago, McGaughey said it is deep in quality and will be a big test for his late-runner. Tom’s d’Etat with Joel Rosario up, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the “Win and You’re In” race for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Improbable and Code of Honor are listed at 5-2. On June 27, Tom’s d’Etat extended his win streak in the GII Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.

“It won’t be easy,” he said. “I’ve just got to hope that Code of Honor runs a monster race. It will be kind of interesting to see what the tactics are with only five. I know where I’m going to be, but I’m not sure what the others are going to do or how much they’re going to press. You know that Joel isn’t going to do anything stupid. Hopefully, he’ll be up there fairly close, as he was, I think, in the Stephen Foster and we are able to pick him up. It’s a pretty solid field. I feel like we’re lucky to be in it. If he runs his race, they’ll know he is there.”

McGaughey said that Code of Honor is better suited for the two-turn 1 1/8 miles of the Whitney than the one-turn Met Mile at Belmont Park. Code of Honor is two-for-two at the Spa.

“I have a lot of confidence,” McGaughey said. “He was so fresh last year for the Travers. I think it will be a little different kind of a race this year because he ran on June 6 [winning the GIII Westchester] and ran back in the Met Mile. He’s bounced out of it good. His two works here were good. I’ve got confidence that he will run his race. If that is good enough, we’ll get our picture taken. If not, we’ll figure out something else.”

McGaughey was in his third year training for Ogden Phipps and his family when he ran Personal Ensign in the Whitney. She had recovered from an injury–a broken bone in a rear leg–that had kept her away from the races for almost a year. The 4-year-old filly faced two very capable runners, Gulch and King’s Swan, and McGaughey said he had some concerns about asking her to face males over a sloppy track.

“The rain came up early, so I came over here to kind of see what was going on with the track,” McGaughey said. “They ran a sprint race earlier in the card–I remember Angel Penna had a horse in there–and it looked like to me that the water was just on top of the track. I told Mr. Phipps that I thought they were going down into a drier track and I didn’t think it would be a problem. I knew she didn’t mind the mud.”

Personal Ensign prevailed by 1 1/2 lengths over Gulch at 4-5 and is the last female to win the Whitney.

“She was able to run an incredible race,” he said. “It’s funny, one of the numbers guys called me earlier in the week and said ‘She can win this race if she gets the perfect trip.’ If you remember, [jockey Angel] Cordero and King’s Swan pushed her way out in the middle of the racetrack. She was out there kind of the whole way, but she was good enough to win.”

Three months later, Personal Ensign finished her career at 13-0 record with a heart-stopping victory by a nose over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs.

McGaughey said the Whitney was part of the plan to silence some critics and put her at the top of the older female division.

“I remember on the West Coast they said, ‘She only wins at Belmont.'” McGaughey said. “So I said, ‘Well, I’ll take care of that part of it.’ We took her down to Monmouth and she won the Molly Pitcher from here to across the street. Mr. Phipps was anxious to start her against the colts and I thought this was the perfect place to do it. In case we were wrong and it took too much out of her, we would still have enough time for the fall racing. We thought this was a pretty good opportunity. Plus, he didn’t want to duck and run to some place, like Chicago, to run against the colts. He wanted to do it here.”

The following summer, McGaughey became the first trainer to win-back-to-back Whitneys in over 50 years with the 3-year-old Easy Goer. After runner-up finishes to Sunday Silence in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, Easy Goer beat Sunday Silence by eight lengths in the GI Belmont S.. Rather than prep him for the Travers in the Jim Dandy, McGaughey put him in the Whitney and ran Fast Play in the Jim Dandy. Easy Goer, the last 3-year-old to win the Whitney, won as he pleased by three lengths over Clever Trevor at 1-5.

“We knew that Easy Goer was an exceptional horse,” McGaughey said. “He came out of the Belmont–and I wouldn’t have done it–but he gave you the feeling that you could run him back in two weeks. We obviously didn’t do that, but we pointed for here. Mr. Phipps was anxious to do something of that sort and we had an alternative, too, with Fast Play, who we could run in the Jim Dandy. Obviously, it was the right decision and I thought it was the right decision going in, too.”

Hall of Fame jockey Jacinto Vazquez provided some drama by pinning Easy Goer along the rail behind the pacesetter for a while, but he took advantage of an opening.

“He had to come through there, but he was in a little bit of trouble,” McGaughey said. “I can remember watching Pat Day and thinking, ‘He’s got a lot of horse. Whenever it opens he’s going to be there.'”

McGaughey was second to Criminal Type with Dancing Spree by 1 1/2 lengths in 1990 and Out of Place was second by a nose in 1992. He added his third Whitney five years ago with Honor Code, who edged Liam’s Map by a neck at 7-2. It followed his victory in the Met Mile and was the last of his six wins in an 11-race career.

“Honor Code was an exceptional horse,” McGaughey said. “He wasn’t the easiest horse to train. He kind of did a little bit of what he wanted to do. After he won in the Whitney, he didn’t want to go back to the training track. I had to bring him up here and train. I don’t know why.”

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Spendthrift Farm Secures Breeding Rights To Met Mile Winner Vekoma

B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Vekoma. The 4-year-old son of leading sire Candy Ride captured the prestigious Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont on Saturday, staking his claim as one of North America's top racehorses in 2020.

“We are extremely excited about Vekoma and his future as a stallion. It's not often you see an elite racehorse that is by a Grade 1 winner and out of a Grade 1 winner,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “Vekoma is a terrific blend of his sire Candy Ride and his Speightstown dam Mona de Momma, showing brilliance from six furlongs to a mile and an eighth and from ages two to four. There's sire power throughout the pedigree, with Vekoma's second dam being a sister to Mr. Greeley. You just will not find a better-bred son of Candy Ride. Vekoma proved he is one of the best horses in training with wins over good fields in the Carter and Met Mile, which have been two of the best performances we have seen this year. The combination of brilliance and pedigree is special.”

Trained by George Weaver for owners R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma has always been one of the top racehorses in his crop, capturing graded stakes wins at two, three and four. After breaking his maiden at first asking in 1:08 4/5 at Belmont, the talented chestnut stretched out to win the one-mile G3 Nashua at Aqueduct to complete an undefeated juvenile campaign. At three, Vekoma jumped onto the Triple Crown trail, finishing third to Code of Honor in the G2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in his seasonal debut. He went on to score a dominant 3 1/2-length win in the 1 1/8-mile G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, earning a berth into the Kentucky Derby.

This year, Vekoma has been perfect in three starts at three different racetracks, kicking off his 4-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length victory in Gulfstream's Sir Shackleton Stakes in March. Vekoma earned his first Grade 1 triumph in the form of a dazzling 7 1/4-length win in the G1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, earning a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure. Last Saturday, he validated his Carter performance with a front-running win in the aforementioned Met Mile, defeating Grade 1 winners Code of Honor and McKinzie, among others, while stopping the clock in a crisp 1:32 4/5 – just .15 seconds off the stakes record for the 129-year-old fixture in New York.

“Vekoma has been an outstanding talent since the moment we got him. He's such a special horse,” said Weaver. “We will take our time to enjoy this win, but Saratoga is the likely next place for him to run. We would like to put the horse in a position to become a champion.”

An earner of $1,245,525 to date, Vekoma was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables. He is out of the Speightstown mare Mona de Momma who scored her biggest win as a racehorse in the G1 Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill. Vekoma's second dam, Society Gal, is a half-sister to successful sire Mr. Greeley.

Vekoma is the third Met Mile winner in the last four years that will take up stud duty at Spendthrift. Mor Spirit, the 2017 winner, and Mitole, the 2019 winner, both stand at the historic Lexington-based farm.

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