Miss Silver Brook meets older competition

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Starting Miss Silver Brook in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks in her third career start last month was asking too much, trainer Julio Canani now says.

She finished seventh, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, after a troubled trip. Since that race, Miss Silver Brook has worked quickly on several occasions. Those workouts have given Canani a reason to start the 3-year-old Miss Silver Brook against older fillies and mares in an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park on Thursday.

Canani said he would prefer to start Miss Silver Brook against 3-year-old fillies, but the race was not available.

"It will never fill," he said.

Owned by Joseph Scardino and Anthony Fanticola, Miss Silver Brook has shown promise from the start of her career. She won her debut in a maiden race over six furlongs at Santa Anita on Jan. 11 and was a game fourth after a slow start in the Grade 3 La Habra Stakes on the hillside turf course in February.

In the Santa Anita Oaks, Miss Silver Brook was sent off at 7-1. She was as close as 1 1/2 lengths from the front with a furlong remaining but was steadied between horses and finished seventh.

"She wasn't ready," Canani said. "I shouldn't have run her."

Bought for $600,000 at the Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2008, Miss Silver Brook is one of two 3-year-old fillies in Thursday's race. Hard Kisses, winner of a maiden race over seven furlongs March 28, is the other. Trained by Bob Baffert, she makes her first start around two turns.

The race includes three other fillies with stakes experience - Allicansayis Wow, Grace Anatomy, and Scarlett's Place.

Allicansayis Wow was second, beaten a neck, in the $109,500 EBF Salsabil Stakes over a synthetic track at Dundalk, Ireland, in April 2008. Now trained by Patrick Biancone, she started in two turf stakes later in 2008, finishing fourth and 13th.

Grace Anatomy has started in seven stakes in her 13-race career, with a third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland in October 2007 her best result. She was 10th in an optional claimer over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita on March 7.

Scarlett's Place was fifth in the Santa Lucia Handicap at Santa Anita in her stakes debut on April 11. Lullabytime, who drew the rail, is the only filly entered for the $40,000 claiming tag.