Pasar Silbano gets a helping hand

ARCADIA, Calif. - To prepare the 3-year-old Pasar Silbano for Saturday's $150,000 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita, trainer Jim Cassidy recently turned to an expert in his barn - the major stakes winner Diamond Diva.

Diamond Diva won the $750,000 CashCall Mile at Hollywood Park last summer, and has been a workout partner for Pasar Silbano in recent weeks. Pasar Silbano should benefit from such company.

Cassidy wants her to slow down, and extend the speed that worked so well in turf sprints over the one-mile turf distance of the Grade 2 Providencia.

Joel Rosario will ride Pasar Silbano for the first time, replacing Mike Smith, who is riding at Keeneland on Saturday.

"I've got a new rider on her and he worked her once," Cassidy said. "We've been getting her behind Diamond Diva in her works and Mike seemed to think she shuts off."

Cassidy describes Pasar Silbano as "good, very explosive," a style she displayed in the La Habra. Pasar Silbano took the lead on the hillside portion of the course and won by 1o3/4 lengths.

In the Providencia, Rosario must throttle some of Pasar Silbano's speed in a strong field of 11. Rosario must avoid a speed duel with Fastongrass or Burg Berg. A duel would greatly help closers such as Acting Lady, Oui Say Oui, and Rosy Mantle.

Acting Lady has placed in two turf stakes, including a second in the China Doll Stakes on March 8. Oui Say Oui was a fast-closing second in her U.S. debut in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course on Marcho21. She was group-stakes-placed in Ireland last August.

Rosy Mantle, stakes-placed in England last October, scored an impressive win in her U.S. debut in a one-mile allowance race on turf on March 11. She closed from fifth to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Trainer Ben Cecil has a slight concern about the Providencia distance.

"I think a mile is the bare minimum for her," Cecil said. "She'll get better at a mile and an eighth or a mile and a quarter. She doesn't get going until the last sixteenth."

Burg Berg is running in a turf stakes for the first time. The winner of a maiden race on the hillside turf course in January and a first-condition allowance race over a mile on turf in February, Burg Berg finished fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks on the main track on March 7. In that race over 1 1/16 miles, she set the pace to the top of the stretch and finished 1o1/2 lengths behind Stardom Bound.

"I don't think she has to be on the lead, that's the way the races came up," trainer Paco Gonzalez said. "Maybe we can rate a little off the pace."

Burg Berg drew post 10, which should give jockey Tyler Baze a chance to stalk any quick runners sent to the lead.

The Providencia is the U.S. debut of two European stakes winners - Mrs Kipling and Pride Dancer.

Mrs Kipling, now trained by Neil Drysdale, won a listed stakes in Italy last September and was third in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot, England, last October.

Pride Dancer won the listed Prix Herod against males at Longchamp over about seven furlongs on turf last October, her stakes debut.