Mike Smith Picks Up Top Decile in Silverbulletday

 

The daughter of Congrats has worked forwardly since relocating to Fair Grounds Race Course following a brief freshening after her runner-up finish in the Grade I $2,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. With a win and two seconds – both in Grade I company – to her name in three career starts, the $110,000 Keeneland September 2013 yearling has earned $489,800 for her connections.

 

After the retirement of Rosie Napravnik – who had been atop the chestnut charge in the aforementioned troika – in November, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith sought and acquired the mount. He will be astride the Kentucky-bred for the first time Saturday. 

 

“She was certainly one we were watching,” Smith said. “Immediately after Rosie retired we knew we wanted to get on her. I watched the Breeders’ Cup over and over again and given her outside post that day, she ran really well and galloped out excellent – so she seemed to like the distance. She seems to have a lot of class about her. I’ll put her in the race and ride her with a lot of confidence. I’m going to let her get into a good rhythm.”

 

SAMIAM WILL TAKE A CHANCE IN THE KRANTZ
Tom Van Meter, II et al’s improving 5-year-old mare Samiam is likely to join what looks to be a competitive cast in the $60,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes on Jan. 17 – Road to the Derby Kickoff Day. Trained by William Van Meter, the daughter of Dynaformer has been training forwardly from her Oaklawn Park base and could be overlooked in a field that is expected to feature Lothenbach Stables’ defending champion Eden Prairie and Twin Creeks Racing’s Notte d’Oro. 

 

“We’re definitely looking at bringing her,” her conditioner said. “She’s doing really well. After her last race at Churchill Downs she got some time off and came back really well. She’s a really nice filly and we bought her around this time last year at Keeneland. We gave her some time off after that, so it took a while to get her going. Once she started getting fit we realized that we may have a really good horse. I think 2015 will be a big year for her.”

 

In 2014, the bay mare started six times, including a game victory in a Delaware Park allowance. Her most impressive race, though, was arguably in defeat in a Keeneland allowance on Oct. 11 over soft turf. Closing from third and 4½ lengths back, she seized the lead under Kerwin Clark and then was caught by Bitty Kitty to lose by a half-length and earn a career-high Equibase Speed Figure of 107. 

 

“She’s bred to go long and to me she has some early speed for a big horse – and that works well for her and is why I ran her in a sprint at Kentucky Downs this summer,” Van Meter continued. “I’m sure her previous trainer took his time with her, which is probably why she has just 11 starts. For us, though, she’s really starting to get very good.”

 

Van Meter confirmed that journeyman Kerwin Clark will have the mount if the Kentucky-bred is entered in the 20th running of the Krantz Memorial.

 

Source: Fair Grounds Barn Notes