Silver Dust comes into Blame Stakes off gutsy win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – You might say Silver Dust has neared millionaire status the old-fashioned way – by consistently posting Beyer Speed Figures in the 90s, regardless of date, place, distance, or conditions.

Fresh from a winning effort that epitomized his 33-race career, Silver Dust can surpass the $1 million earnings mark Saturday at Churchill Downs by finishing first or second in the $150,000 Blame Stakes.

Trained by Bret Calhoun for Tom Durant, Silver Dust will have Adam Beschizza back aboard when he breaks from the outside post in a well-matched field of seven older horses in the 1 1/8-mile Blame, the sixth of 11 races on the stakes-laden card. The popular gray gelding comes off a gritty score in the April 10 Ben Ali over a soupy Keeneland track, a win that snapped a winless streak of nearly 14 months.

“He still has it,” said Calhoun.

Indeed, it was a big effort from Silver Dust in fighting off all challenges in the Grade 3 Ben Ali. In a race noticeably lacking pace, he put his versatility on display in forcing all the running before prevailing by a half-length over Night Ops. The 7-year-old Silver Dust earned a 93 Beyer – his 17th of 91 or higher – and pushed his career bankroll to $975,677.

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In stark contrast to the Ben Ali, there’s considerably more early speed signed on in the Blame – and therefore Beschizza and Silver Dust might well find themselves in mid-pack through the opening stages. Mighty Heart, the 2020 Canadian Horse of the Year, owns a front-running style that should make for honest fractions, while Sprawl and American Dubai are capable of keeping him from stealing off on an easy lead. How that translates to the final quarter-mile is anyone’s guess – and should make for spirited betting that will have late runners such as Night Ops and South Bend among the favorites.

Night Ops, trained by Brad Cox, is a two-time stakes winner maintaining solid form, while South Bend was a last-out allowance winner at Keeneland in his first start since tailing off last year at 3.

This is the second running of the Blame, named for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner at Churchill. It was inaugurated as a one-turn mile last May, with Owendale rallying from far back to prevail for Cox.

The Blame is the first leg of the 20-cent Derby City 6, a jackpot wager spanning races 6-11. It goes at 3:18 p.m. Eastern.

Rugged cast in Aristides

Tap It to Win had shown enough in 10 prior starts to warrant lukewarm favoritism in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on the May 1 Kentucky Derby undercard, but the Live Oak homebred failed to support the bettors’ conclusions when finishing 11th of 12.

Still, there may be a plausible reason for the subpar performance, according to his trainer, Mark Casse. After battling through an opening half-mile that went in a screaming 44.21 seconds, Tap It to Win “must’ve hit himself pretty bad, to the extent that he came back bleeding on his ankle,” said Casse.

“I don’t know if that stopped him because the pace was nuts, but yeah, he nailed it,” Casse said.

Duly recovered and regrouped, Tap It to Win now comes well drawn in the outside post in a field of 10 older horses in the 33rd running of the $150,000 Aristides (race 10, 5:26) at six furlongs. Tyler Gaffalione has the call on the standout Florida-bred ridgling.

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Other contenders include Empire of Gold, an overachieving type whose Beyers in his last four starts range from 93 to 96; Sir Alfred James, a sharp allowance winner during Derby week; and the uncoupled Jimmy DiVito duo of Royal Daaher and Mojo Man.

The Aristides, named for the winner of the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, dates to 1989, when Bet the Pot prevailed under Charlie Woods.

Lots riding on the Douglas Park

Partly because it’s the last leg in every end-of-card multi-race wager, the $110,000 Douglas Park (race 11, 5:58) is a critical finale. Beyond that, it’s a solid race that figures to propel a few of its nine older horses to the Grade 2 Wise Dan on June 26, closing day of the spring meet.

Set Piece (post 8, Florent Geroux), a last-out winner of the Opening Verse during Derby week for Cox, figures as the one to beat in this 1 1/16-mile turf race. The Juddmonte Farms homebred capitalized on a swift pace to rally for his fourth win from eight starts on this continent.

Gray’s Fable, who led for much of the Opening Verse, is back as a dangerous front-runner, while Parlor, Ramsey Solution, and Logical Myth all could get into the mix with their top efforts, too.

This is the first running of the Douglas Park, which memorializes a Louisville track that operated intermittently from 1895-1958.