Pimlico: Ms Silver Oak better on turf in Hilltop Stakes

When he was an assistant to Bobby Frankel, trainer Chad Brown was around Leroidesanimaux, the turf star now better known as the sire of Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby winner.

“He was a real tough horse,” Brown recalled Wednesday. “That horse, he always trained well on dirt, but he was on such a roll on the turf that we kept him on it. So it didn’t surprise me that Animal Kingdom liked it.”

Brown has a closer rooting interest regarding Leroidesanimaux here at Pimlico on Friday. He will send out Ms Silver Oak, a daughter of Leroidesanimaux, in the $75,000 Hilltop Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. The 1 1/16-mile grass race is the last of 13 on the card.
Ms Silver Oak is returning to the turf after a good third-place finish on Polytrack at Keeneland. In her race before that, she defeated maidens at Gulfstream Park.

“I thought her race on Polytrack wasn’t too bad, but she’s better on turf,” Brown said. “She’s been consistent. She’s steadily gotten better for us.”

Brown also entered Celestial Kitten, but she landed the outside post of the 14 entered. Brown said she would “most likely” be scratched and instead run in the Sands Point at Belmont Park.

Anandi, a powerful winner of her lone outing at Tampa despite a poor start, is among the other top candidates in the Hilltop.

Subpoena had a tough trip in the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs two weeks ago and finished in front of Ms Silver Oak in a Gulfstream allowance in her prior start.

Frontside comes off a front-running win against maidens at Gulfstream and will be making her first start since moving to trainer Mark Shuman’s barn.