Mandella prefers Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint for Silentio
ARCADIA, Calif.- Silentio will race in sprints this autumn, with the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 the next goal for the 5-year-old horse.
Trainer Gary Mandella said on Sunday that Silentio will be cross-entered for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, a race in which he finished third last year. Mandella emphasized that he would prefer to run Silentio in the Turf Sprint.
“That’s my first preference,” Mandella said. “I think he might really like it.”
Owned by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, Silentio has won 4 of 14 starts and earned $711,960. He has won two stakes – the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes for 3-year-olds over a mile on turf in December 2012, and the Grade 2 Citation Handicap over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park last November.
Silentio has never run about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, the distance of the Turf Sprint.
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Silentio is winless in four starts this year, the most recent of which was a third in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes on Polytrack at Del Mar on Aug. 24. Silentio was beaten 5 3/4 lengths by Goldencents in a field of seven.
“I liked his race in the Pat O’Brien, but my horse is a little better on grass,” Mandella said.
Sunday, Silentio worked six furlongs in 1:11.80, the fastest of 27 recorded works on the main track.
Mandella said a contributing factor to target the Turf Sprint over the BC Mile is the presence of Anodin in the Wertheimer’s stable. Trained in France by Freddy Head, Anodin was a Group 1 winner in France in 2013 and is a candidate for the BC Mile.
Sunday was a busy morning of workouts at Santa Anita for Breeders’ Cup hopefuls.
Beholder, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2013, worked five furlongs in 1:02.20. She is a leading contender for the $2 million BC Distaff on Oct. 31, a race she won in 2013. Richard Mandella, Gary’s father, trains Beholder.
Two of California’s leading contenders worked for the BC Mile – Tom’s Tribute went five furlongs on turf in 1:03 and Obviously went six furlongs on turf in 1:12.80.
Trainer Jim Cassidy said he timed Tom’s Tribute in 1:15 for six furlongs, with splits of 41 seconds for the first three furlongs and 34 seconds for the last three-eighths. Tom’s Tribute won the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 24, a race in which Obviously finished fourth. Obviously won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile here earlier this year.
Miss Serendipity, who won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes here in May, worked five furlongs on turf in 1:00.60. She won the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 1, but was 11th in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes here on Sept. 27. Trained by Ron McAnally, Miss Serendipity will make her next start in the $2 million BC Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 1.
Papacoolpapacool, a maiden race winner on turf on Sept. 27, worked five furlongs on turf in 1:01.40. Trainer Jeff Mullins said that Papacoolpapacool will be pre-entered for the BC Juvenile Turf later this month, but stopped short of saying that a start in the Oct. 31 race is definite.