Santa Anita: Seven furlongs ideal distance for Miss Silver Brook

ARCADIA, Calif. – Miss Silver Brook makes her third start following a layoff in Friday’s second race at Santa Anita, and the conditions of the $51,000, second-level allowance race have trainer Mike Mitchell in a confident state of mind.

Miss Silver Brook has drawn the outside post in a field of five. The race is run over seven furlongs.

“I love the seven-eighths,” Mitchell said. “I love the company. The dirt races for that condition can be easier than the turf races.”

Miss Silver Brook has won 2 of 19 starts for owners Joe Scardino and Tony Fanticola. A 5-year-old mare, she once faced Zenyatta, but did not offer much of a fuss that day, finishing fifth as a 45-1 shot in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in June 2010.

Julio Canani trained Miss Silver Brook in 2010, but the mare joined Mitchell’s stable when she returned from a 10-month layoff at Del Mar last month.

“They’ve left me total freedom to run where I want,” Mitchell said, referring to the owners. “I did this because it was seven-eighths. I think she fits really nicely here.”

Miss Silver Brook finished fourth after a slow start in the CERF Stakes for female sprinters on a synthetic track in her comeback, and was a fast-closing second in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Oct. 7.

“I think she can run on anything,” Mitchell said.

Miss Silver Brook will stalk a pace expected to be set by Pincelada, who has been second or fourth in five starts since March. Trained by Brian Koriner, Pincelada has not started since finishing fourth in an optional claimer over five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 11.

Trainer Bob Baffert starts Toro Bonito, who was second in an optional claimer at Del Mar on Aug. 4, and won an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park in June. Evita’s Sister is making her second start of the meeting, although she unseated jockey Hector Berrios at the start of the race in which Miss Silver Brook was second on Oct. 7.

Came West drew the rail. Trained by Denise Breuer, Came West was third in the Bangles and Beads Stakes at Fairplex Park last month.

“She was kind of swung wide the whole way,” Breuer said. “This will be a true test.”