Silver State May Bring Five-Race Win Streak To Met Mile On Belmont Stakes Card

While Grade 1 Preakness Stakes runner-up Midnight Bourbon will likely take his show on the road, red-hot Silver State could give Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen noteworthy representation on Belmont Stakes Day in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Silver State would bring a five-race win streak to New York for the Met Mile for Winchell and Asmussen. Owned by Winchell in partnership with Willis Horton Racing, the 4-year-old Hard Spun colt was given an extended break following a run in the series of Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds Race Course last year and has done no wrong since returning to action.

Following two allowance triumphs at seven furlongs at Keeneland and Churchill Downs, Silver State began building a prominent resume with a trio of stakes victories at Oaklawn Park this winter, capturing the Fifth Season on January 23, the Essex on March 13, and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 17.

“We've got the Met Mile under consideration,” said David Fiske bloodstock and racing adviser for  Winchell Thoroughbreds. “He went seven-eighths in 1:21 and some change when he won at Churchill, so we feel that anything around seven-eighths to a mile and an eighth would be within his ability.”

Should he make the trip to New York for the Met Mile, Silver State would aim to give Asmussen his third victory in the prestigious race. He previously won back-to-back editions with Bee Jersey [2018] and Mitole [2019].

Fiske added that dual graded stakes-placed Whiskey Double could ship to Belmont Park later in the summer for the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer on July 5 if performs well in a Thursday allowance race at Churchill Downs. The son of Into Mischief was second in the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct before finishing third to stable mate Jackie's Warrior in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs.

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Uberleben Ends White Filly Sodashi’s Unbeaten Streak With Japanese Oaks Triumph

Winning her first graded stakes in her seventh career start, K. Thoroughbred Club Ruffian's Uberleben handed the white filly Sodashi her initial defeat in Sunday's 82nd running of the Grade 1, $2.3 million Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) at Tokyo Race Course.

Ridden by Mirco Demuro for trainer Takahisa Tezuka, the 3-year-oid filly by Gold Ship (a grandson of Sunday SIlence) scored by one length over Akaitorino Musume as the 8-1 third betting choice in the field of 18 runners. Hagino Pilina finished third, a nose behind the runner-up and 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Tagano Passion in fourth. Sodashi, the eye-catching white daughter of Kurofune who came into the race unbeaten in five starts, finished eighth after being forwardly placed until deep stretch. Coming off a victory in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), Sodashi was the 9-10 favorite.

Time for the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) on good to firm turf was 2:24.50, compared to the race record of 2:22.80 set by Loves Only You in 2019.

The victory was the eighth in a G1 race for trainer Tezuka and the 33rd G1 in Japan for Demuro, who rode Loves Only You to her record-setting win.

“She suffered from colic in February and has shown a slow but steady recovery,” Demuro said after the Oaks. “She broke smoothly today and it did worry me a bit that we were dead last in the backstretch but she responded well when the pace accelerated from the third corner and showed her tenacity in steadily advancing in the straight. She was strong pulling away and holding off the others. The added distance wasn't a problem for her at all. I'm thrilled—it's always wonderful to win a G1 race.”

The win was the second in seven starts for Uberleben. She was bred by Shigeyuki Okada's Big Red Farm. The victory was the first in a G1 race for the offspring of Gold Ship, a six-time G1 winner whose victories included the first and third legs of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2012. He stands at Big Red Farm. Uberleben was produced from Meine Theresia, a daughter of G1 Whitney Handicap and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Roses in May (by Devil His Due) for trainer Dale Romans and owners Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey. Roses In May also stands at Big Red Farm.

With attendance at Japanese race courses still limited because of COVID-19, an on-track crowd of 4,791 was reported. Wagering on the race was US$161 million with US$248.5 million bet on the day's 12-race program.

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‘Blossoming Before Our Eyes’: Irish-Bred Going Global Crushes Honeymoon Rivals

In one of the most impressive performances of the entire 64-day meeting, trainer Phil D'Amato's Irish-bred Going Global split horses turning for home and rocketed to a 4 ¾-length win in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Flavien Prat, Going Global got 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:46.37 and registered her fourth consecutive North American stakes win.

Taken in-hand out of the gate, Going Global had two horses beat while fifth, about eight lengths off pacesetter Pizzazz heading into the clubouse turn.  Fifth in a field of seven sophomore fillies, about four lengths off the lead while under restraint mid-way around the far turn, Prat angled out turning for home, shooting a gap between Pizzazz and longshot Midnight Diva.

From there, Going Global ran like a wild horse to the wire in a performance that could well have national implications.

“I think that she's a filly that is just blossoming before our eyes right now,” said D'Amato, the meet's leading trainer with 41 wins and co-leader, along with Baffert in stakes wins with 14.  “Each performance, I thought was better than the next and this one I thought, was many lengths better than the last.  It's just exciting to have a filly like this going into Del Mar and hopefully, the sky's the limit.

“For a 3-year-old filly at this time of the year, she's probably the best filly I've ever had.  I've had a lot of good Grade 1-winning mares, but this early on in their career, I'd say she's definitely the best 3-year-old filly.”

A winner of three turf stakes dating back to her U.S. debut, the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes on Feb. 14, Going Global came off a hard-fought neck win in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at the Honeymoon distance and was 4-5 favorite Saturday afternoon, returning $3.60, $2.40 and $2.20.

“We had a good pace and she relaxed very well,” said Prat, who's been aboard in all of her local starts.  “We were able to save ground and when she found that hole, she was very impressive.  She has a great turn of foot and yes, that was a pretty good race for her, her best race so far.”

Owned by CYBT, Michael Dubb, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano, Going Global is now unbeaten in four stateside starts and has five wins from eight overall races.  With today's winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $248,792.

Last to the quarter pole, Golden, who was ridden by Umberto Rispoli, rallied three-wide into the stretch and out-finished Midnight Diva by a half length for second.  Off at 5-1, Golden paid $4.60 and $3.60.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Midnight Diva was an attentive third early and stayed in game fashion late to run third by 2 ¼ lengths over Quattroelle.  Off at 29-1, Midnight Diva paid $7.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.89, 45.66, 1:09.79 and 1:34.59.

Racing resumes on Sunday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

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Sconsin Rallies From Off The Pace To Capture Winning Colors

Taking advantage of fast early fractions, Tyler Gaffalione allowed Lloyd Madison Farms IV LLC's Kentucky homebred Sconsin to settle off the early pace, then swung out at the top of the stretch to pass the early leaders and draw off to a 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Winning Colors Stakes on Saturday evening at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

A 4-year-old daughter of Include, Sconsin covered six furlongs on a fast track in 1:08.80 and paid $4.20 as the second choice among the five older fillies and mares contesting the Winning Colors. Pacesetter Rising Seas held second by a half length over 3-5 favorite Frank's Rockette, who got away slowly and then rushed up to contest the pace. Headland, who stumbled badly coming out of the gate, finished fourth, with Tipsy Gal fifth. Bayerness scratched.

The victory was the fourth in 12 starts for Sconsin, whose only previous stakes victory also came at Churchill Downs in the G2 Eight Belles Stakes last Sept. 4. She was coming off a second-place finish to champion female sprinter Gamine in the G1 Derby City Distaff on Kentucky Derby day, May 1.

Rising Seas and Corey Lanerie jumped out to the early lead after the slow start by multiple graded stakes winner Frank's Rockette, who was ridden by Florent Geroux. Rising Seas went the opening quarter mile in :21.72 and was under pressure from Frank's Rockette  around the far turn through a half mile in :44.55. Tipsy Gal was three wide and also putting pressure on the top two while Sconsin sat fourth, saving ground behind the top three until Gaffalione swung her to the outside at the top of the stretch.

After passing the furlong pole in :56.48, Sconsin quickly pulled away to the victory.

The Winning Colors Stakes, named for the D. Wayne Lukas-trained filly who won the 1988 Kentucky Derby under jockey Gary Stevens, was inaugurated in 2004.

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