Comebacking Silent Bird to face tough field in Pat O'Brien Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Mark Glatt is certain Silent Bird belongs in graded stakes, and even though the 5-year-old has not raced in five months, Glatt is looking to Saturday’s Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar to provide proof.

Silent Bird won five consecutive races, from January 2016 to January of this year, before finishing fourth in his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on March 11.

Silent Bird was rested following that race. For the horse’s comeback, Glatt said he has few options aside from the $200,000 Pat O’Brien at seven furlongs.

“He’s probably close to that level of horses,” Glatt said. “I don’t have any place to run the horse. I don’t want to ship.”

Owned by Norman Stables, Silent Bird will be part of a tough field in the Pat O’Brien. While the race is an extended sprint, the O’Brien winner will receive a fees-paid berth for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile here on Nov. 3.

The O’Brien lineup is likely to include Calculator, Danzing Candy, Denman’s Call, Giant Expectations, Kobe’s Back, Blameitonthelaw, and Moe Candy.

For now, the BC Dirt Mile is not on Glatt’s mind.

“Until he beats those horses, we’ll take it one step at a time,” he said.

Silent Bird was beaten eight lengths by Denman’s Call in the Triple Bend. Glatt declined to say what caused Silent Bird to be sidelined.

“He needed a mini-break,” he said.

Silent Bird’s winning streak included the Damascus Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita last November.

On Sunday, Silent Bird worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 under jockey Kent Desormeaux, who will have the mount for the first time on Sunday. The workout was Desormeaux’s first time aboard Silent Bird.

“He said, ‘I don’t know who he is. I don’t want to know who he is. I want to ride him,’” Glatt recalled.

The O’Brien Stakes is the richest race of the final weekend of August at Del Mar.

Saturday’s $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes at a mile for 3-year-olds should draw an excellent field led by Gormley, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April, and Battle of Midway, who was third in the Kentucky Derby.

Gormley has not raced since finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. Battle of Midway was a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 30.

Other expected runners for the Shared Belief are Cistron, Gato Del Oro, Klimt, Stone Hands, and True Valor. Klimt won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity last September when trained by Bob Baffert. He was transferred to Art Sherman last winter and was second in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 15.

Sunday’s main race is the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile. The field is expected to be led by Paradise Woods, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks in April. Trained by Richard Mandella, Paradise Woods has not raced since finishing 11th as the 6-5 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 5.

Paradise Woods figures to be a strong favorite against such runners as Bernina Star, Helen Hillary, Mistressofthenight, and Zapperkat.