Silver Dust a no-fuss winner in Louisiana Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
NEW ORLEANS – Silver Dust was minding his manners before the Grade 3, $125,000 Louisiana Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and his trainer, Bret Calhoun, didn’t know what to think about it.
Calhoun, said he’d never seen 6-year-old Silver Dust, a noted bad boy, act so professionally in the paddock and starting gate.
“I figured he was acting so good he might not run at all,” Calhoun said.
Calhoun need not have fretted – Silver Dust ran as well as he behaved. Jockey Jack Gilligan let Gun It lead through a slow first quarter and a moderate half-mile, edged Silver Dust alongside Gun It at the three-furlong marker, and Silver Dust took it from there. He leaped past Gun It after straightening for home, dropped down to the fence, and crossed the line 4 1/4 lengths in front of second-place Blended Citizen after Gilligan had wrapped up on his mount. Blended Citizen had no chance to get to Silver Dust after racing from fifth behind Gun It’s opening quarter mile in 24.80 seconds and ran decently to get second by a neck over Gun It. Silver Dust ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.29 and paid $3.20 as the overwhelming favorite.
“The race worked out perfect today,” said Gilligan. “He’s a big, strong horse and I was able to put him where he needed to be.”
Silver Dust has shown talent from the early days of his career; harnessing it has been a challenge. Even last summer, after Silver Dust had started to settle down some and keep his mind on racing, he nearly knocked Calhoun silly while saddling in the Indiana Grand paddock for the Schaefer Memorial Stakes. Silver Dust finished second in that race and wound up his 2019 campaign with two wins and four seconds from seven starts, never running a poor race all season. Calhoun and owner Tom Durant freshened him after the Sept. 28 Lukas Classic and Silver Dust, a gelded son of Tapit and Filare l’Oro, by Hard Spun, returned Saturday with one of his better performances. Calhoun will keep Silver Dust at Fair Grounds, where he’s settled and happy, and run him next month in the Mineshaft Stakes if all goes well.
