Silent Bird gears up for graded-stakes debut in Triple Bend

ARCADIA, Calif. – Silent Bird has not lost since his debut in December 2015, reeling off five consecutive wins since the middle of January 2016.

The winning streak includes four optional claimers and the minor Damascus Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita last November, the only stakes appearance for the 5-year-old horse. Next Saturday, Silent Bird will have his long-awaited graded-stakes debut in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Silent Bird had his final major exercise for the $400,000 Triple Bend, working six furlongs in 1:13.40. Silent Bird was ridden in the workout by leading rider Flavien Prat and looked to be going well within himself.

“He’s a deceiving horse,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “He’s got a long stride. He doesn’t look like he’s going that fast.”

Owned by Norman Stables, Silent Bird has not raced since winning an optional claimer at a mile on a muddy and sealed track Jan. 6. The optional claimer was his first start around two turns. Such races remain a long-term goal for Glatt.

“At some point, we’ll get there,” Glatt said.

For the moment, Glatt is more focused on starting Silent Bird in what should be a tough running of the Triple Bend. The leading candidate is Masochistic, who won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar last August. Masochistic was second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint here in November but was disqualified from purse money for a steroid positive.

Other expected starters in the Triple Bend are Conquest Cobra, Denman’s Call, Kentuckian, Kobe’s Back, and Point Piper. Kobe’s Back has not raced since finishing third in the Triple Bend when the race was run here last June.

Conquest Cobra, third in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 20, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 on Saturday.

The Triple Bend is one of three Grade 1 races on next Saturday’s program, along with the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap and the $400,000 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf.

Bolo, the winner of the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes on Feb. 11 in his first start of the year, worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Saturday. There is a chance that Bolo could be sent to the United Arab Emirates for the $6 million Dubai Turf at 1 1/8 miles on March 25, but trainer Carla Gaines said the Kilroe Mile is more likely.

The Kilroe will have a strong field, including the graded stakes winners Bal a Bali, Conquest Enforcer, Dortmund, Ring Weekend, and What a View.

Ring Weekend, who won the 2015 Kilroe Mile and the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap on turf at Del Mar in November, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Saturday. Conquest Enforcer, the winner of the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds in late December, worked five furlongs in 1:01.60.

Conquest Enforcer was third as the 6-5 favorite behind Bolo and What a View in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes. He emerged from the race with a quarter crack that has responded to treatment, co-owner Ron Paolucci said on Saturday.

In other works, Finest City, the champion female sprinter of 2016, worked five furlongs in 1:02. She is scheduled to start in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on March 18.

American Anthem, a game second to Gormley in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile in his stakes debut Jan. 7, worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:12.20. Trained by Bob Baffert, American Anthem is likely to run in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 18.