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Silver State Takes Essex Handicap For Fourth Consecutive Victory

Silver State rolled to his fourth consecutive victory for trainer Steve Asmussen on Saturday, winning the $500,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., from off the pace under Ricardo Santana Jr.

Rated R Superstar, an 8-year-old making his 50th career start and the 2019 Essex winner, finished second by a neck nder Ramon Vazquez, with Night Ops 1 3/4 lengths back in third and Harpers First Ride fourth in the field of six older runners. Tax, the 120-pound highweight, was scratched.

Silver State, a 4-year-old by Hard Spun owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, carried 118 pounds and ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.73. He paid $4.40 as the favorite, winning for the fifth time in nine career starts. He was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

Harpers First Ride, making his first start for Robertino Diodoro after spending most of his career in Maryland, dueled with Green Light Go through fractions of :23.57, :47.67 and 1:12.22 while Silver State and Rated R Superstar raced at the rear of the field. Green Light Go retreated on the turn as the back markers began to gain ground on the turn and into the stretch.

Silver State had the jump on Rated R Superstar and maintained his lead throughout the stretch, passing the mile in 1:36.57 and holding sway for the victory.

“We had a beautiful trip,” Santana said. “I was in the position I wanted to be in. He relaxed really well for me and turning for home, he gave me a really nice finish.”

Silver State was on the Triple Crown trail early last year, finishing second in the G3 Lecomte and third in the G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fairgrounds. After a seventh-place finish in the G2 Louisiana Derby in March, he went to the sidelines. Silver State returned with a seven-length allowance victory at Keeneland in October, won a Churchill allowance in November and took the Fifth Season Stakes in at Oaklawn in January.

“It's a great partnership with the Hortons and Winchell Thoroughbreds,” Asmussen added. “They've done so much for me. This horse has always shown a lot of potential. We gave him the necessary time and he's come back to win four races. This was a very quality win today.”

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Shedaresthedevil Makes Victorious Return, Holds Off Letruska In Azeri

Shedaresthedevil, winner of the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks last September, made a winning return to the races at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., on Saturday, going right to the front, controlling the pace and holding off a late bid in deep stretch from favored Letruska to win the G2, $250,000 Azeri Stakes by a short head.

Off since tiring in the stretch to be third in the G1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland in her lone start against older fillies and mares in 2020, Shedaresthedevil covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.57 and paid $5.60 as the second choice in the wagering. She carried 119 pounds, five fewer than Letruska.

Letruska, a star at Hipodromo de las Americas in Mexico City before coming to the U.S. late in 2019, finished second in the field of five in her bid for a third consecutive graded stakes win. Encoutante finished third, with Getridofwhatailesu fourth and Motion Emotion fifth.

A 4-year-old filly by Daredevil owned by Qatar Racing, Big Aut Farms and Flurry Racing Stable, Shedaresthedevil is trained by Brad Cox and was ridden to victory by Florent Geroux.

Breaking from the outside post, Shedaresthedevil darted to the front immediately and set fractions of :23.93 for the opening quarter mile, :47.79 for the half and 1:11.54 for six furlongs. Envoutante was her closest pursuer with Letruska – who typically runs on the front end – three wide while third into the first turn and in the run down the backstretch.

As the field rounded into the stretch, Joel Rosario allowed Letruska to drift out even further while trying to run down the favorite. Shedaresthedevil maintained a clear advantage at the mile marker — clocked in 1:36.25 – but was all out to hold off a surge from Letruska in deep stretch.

“We caught a flyer out of the gate,” Geroux said. “I was expecting Letruska to lead all the way. I don't know if she didn't break fast enough or stumbled, but we inherited the lead and I just took it from there. My filly is extremely talented. You know you want to slow her down, just keep her in a nice rhythm. Turning for home, she gave me everything she had. She maybe got a little bit tired down the lane, but it was good for her first race off the break. I don't think she was 100% cranked up for this. We have hopes for a big year with her.”

The win was the sixth from 12 starts for Shedaresthedevil, who won the G3 Honeybee at Oaklawn in 2020, along with the G3 Indiana Oaks prior to winning the Kentucky Oaks. She was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm.

“Whenever I run here, I'm nervous,” Staton Flurry of Flurry Racing said. “I expected the three (Letruska) to break good, but she didn't. We just went on with it. She really dug in. Florent rode a great race. I'm glad to have her back. It's going to be a fun year.”

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McPeek Hoping For Repeat Of ‘Magical Season’ With Swiss Skydiver

Swiss Skydiver, Eclipse Award champion three-year-old filly of 2020, makes her four-year-old debut Saturday at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile

Owned by Peter Callahan and bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, the daughter of Daredevil upset Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Authentic at 11-1 in last year's Preakness Stakes before an eventful seventh in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland last Nov. 7, her most recent race.

“There were limited options where we are,” trainer Ken McPeek said in explaining a coast-to-coast trip from Florida to start her campaign.

“There really wasn't an older filly and mare stake in Florida and I've got my other filly, Envoutante, at Oaklawn (for Saturday's Grade 2 Azeri Stakes). I didn't want to run against each other.”

Envoutante, handy six-length winner of the Grade 2 Falls City at Churchill Downs in her most recent start last Nov. 26, also was nominated to the Beholder. Like Swiss Skydiver in the Beholder, Envoutante (“bewitching” in English) also drew the rail in the Azeri, where she is 5-2 on the morning line vs. four rivals.

“Obviously the Beholder is a great race and I think Swiss Skydiver is capable of running a flat mile,” McPeek said. “She's really sharp now, so that's good, and the timing works out well.”

Robby Albarado, who piloted Swiss Skydiver to her Preakness victory, arrived in California Tuesday to ride the chestnut filly in the Beholder, while McPeek got in town Thursday. Swiss Skydiver arrived Tuesday night.

With an Eclipse Award, two Grade I victories including the Alabama Stakes along with the Preakness, a four-length romp in the Santa Anita Oaks and five graded stakes wins on her resume last year, Swiss Skydiver exceeded McPeek's expectations.

“In her first stakes race last year (fifth in a restricted outing at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 18) she kind of had a troubled trip (going five-wide and floating out while beaten less than a length at seven furlongs), but since then she rolled on.

“It was unfortunate she stumbled (at the start) in the Breeders' Cup (finishing seventh behind Older Dirt Female champion Monomoy Girl) and cut her leg up pretty good.

“But she bounced back from that. It was a magical season for the most part.

“Hopefully, we can come half that close this year.”

The Beholder, race eight of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Swiss Skydiver, Robby Albarado, 8-5; Golden Principal, Juan Hernandez, 8-1; Harvest Moon, Flavien Prat, 5-2; Sanenus, Umberto Rispoli, 4-1; Miss Stormy D, Tyler Baze, 20-1; As Time Goes By, Mike Smith, 4-1; This Tea, Abel Cedillo, 30-1; and Clockstrikestwelve, Tiago Pereira, 20-1.

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‘Lively’ Saudi Cup Hero Mishriff Could Be Aimed At Juddmonte International After Dubai

The Saudi Cup winner Mishriff – fresh from landing the world's most valuable race, – has the Juddmonte International at York as his main summer target following a return to turf in the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27.

The Juddmonte International, a Group 1 prize over 2000m (1 1/4 miles) in August, is the chief aim for the John Gosden-trained colt, in what is expected to be a busy campaign for the 4-year-old before retiring to stud at the end of the British turf season.

Mishriff, who ran down American star Charlatan with a strong late charge to win the $20 million Saudi Cup last month, will next appear in the 2400m (1 1/2 miles) Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on March 27.

He is likely to have a break after that before heading to Royal Ascot and Gosden's son Thady, who oversaw his preparation in Saudi Arabia, said: “To win a race of the caliber of The Saudi Cup was pretty wonderful for everyone involved. It was brilliant that the horse is owned by a local owner, Prince Faisal, and the home crowd were obviously thrilled.

“Charlatan had a lot more speed than us from the gate but David [Egan] gave him a brilliant ride to keep him close enough to the pace, which definitely helped.

“In America they have much shorter straights whereas in Saudi it is just one turn. They have that long, sweeping bend and then it's a long way home. Horses like Charlatan wouldn't be used to that.

“Obviously, Mishriff had a hard race in The Saudi Cup but he took the race well. Charlatan is a top-class horse so it was pretty tough running him down.

“He's been working well and he seems happy. The whole journey and the travelling hasn't taken much out of him.”

The decision to run Mishriff in the Dubai Sheema Classic instead of the Dubai World Cup means a return to turf and a first try at 2400m.

Gosden, who is to join his father on the licence at Clarehaven Stables as joint-trainer in the near future, doesn't believe the step up in distance will be a problem.

He revealed: “There's plenty of stamina in his pedigree and you'd think he might get it [the trip] on what he shows at home. The Sheema Classic is 2400m so we'll find out what we suspect but we'll know for sure afterwards.

“The dirt tracks in Saudi and Dubai are different surfaces. The turf horses seem to handle it better in Saudi so the dirt form might not necessarily translate to Meydan.”

There will be plenty of options in Europe for Mishriff during the British summer but Gosden was quick to nominate the Juddmonte International as an ideal target for the Saudi Cup hero.

He said: “The Juddmonte International is the premier 2000m race in the UK. York is a track that should suit him well as it's a nice galloping 2000m.

“With the Juddmonte link with Prince Faisal and Saudi Arabia it's another race I'm sure he'd like to target. Plenty of good horses have won it and it's been a pretty good stallion making race over the years.

“Mishriff is definitely a horse who enjoys his racing, mentally he doesn't seem to worry about it at all. He should be able to take plenty of racing this year.

“He's a pretty lively character – he definitely likes to let you know he's there but he's very straightforward in his work. When you see him on the racetrack he holds his head quite low – he gets on with it and definitely enjoys it.”

When Mishriff is next seen on track in Britain, Gosden is likely to be given official recognition for his role at his father's Newmarket stables. The 25-year-old will be joint-trainer after filling the role of assistant for the last five years.

He said: “It's been in the pipeline a little while and we were working out a good time to do it. Everything unfortunately got pushed back a bit with Covid but hopefully it will all get sorted soon.

“Things are working fairly well at the moment so hopefully we can keep on going. It's going incredibly smoothly – no speed bumps at all – and I'm obviously very fortunate to be in this position.”

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