Silver Dust kicks off season with rare turf start
It might be the wrong surface, but it’s the right time for Silver Dust to start his 7-year-old season. He goes back to the turf in the featured eighth race Sunday at Fair Grounds.
Silver Dust, who won the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes last winter at Fair Grounds and has banked nearly $900,000 in purse earnings, last was seen finishing a disappointing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He got a winter break and hit the work tab on Jan. 9 at Fair Grounds, but trainer Bret Calhoun has struggled to find a suitable spot for Silver Dust.
Silver Dust raced with modest effectiveness in one grass try years ago and very likely is not cut out for turf, but Calhoun said he intends to run even if the race remains on turf just to get a race into Silver Dust.
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This race is carded at about one mile on grass and has multiple high-end allowance conditions as well as an $80,000 claiming option. Nine were entered, Hop Kat runs only in the event of a shift to dirt, and the group is basically stakes quality.
Spectacular Gem, a multiple turf-stakes winner in 2020, gets a touch of class relief after starts in three Fair Grounds turf stakes this meet, all races in which he faced pace pressure. Artie’s Rumor was seventh last out in the Fair Grounds Stakes, Dontblamerocket 10th in the same race, and both have a decent chance at considerable improvement. Two Emmys rises in class but was a sharp winner over the talented Darrain last out and has done all his best work over the Fair Grounds grass. Argentello starts for the $80,000 tag, which is slightly curious since he qualifies for the race’s allowance conditions and finished third, beaten a neck, in the Dec. 19 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes, his most recent race.
◗ Extravagant Kid, a troubled second Feb. 13 in the Colonel Power Stakes at Fair Grounds, will race in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on March 27 at Meydan, according to a report from Dubai. Brendan Walsh, who won the 2019 UAE Derby at Meydan with Plus Que Parfait, trains the 8-year-old veteran.
◗ Starrininmydreams, who won his two starts, both at Churchill Downs, as a 2-year-old in 2020 but finished ninth in the Feb. 13 Risen Star, will race in the Louisiana Derby on March 20, trainer, co-owner, and co-breeder Dallas Stewart said. Starrininmydreams worked a fast half mile Feb. 28 in company with Dubai World Cup-bound Title Ready.