Silver Prospector edges clear to win Southwest Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Silver Prospector won the second Kentucky Derby points race of his career Monday, overtaking pacesetter Wells Bayou for a length win in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Answer In finished third, another 5 1/2 lengths back.

The Southwest was worth 10 points to Silver Prospector, as was his victory in last fall’s Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. He now ranks sixth in points.

“He’s got ability,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Silver Prospector for Ed and Susie Orr. “His win in the Kentucky Jockey Club was against a quality field.”

In that race, Silver Prospector defeated Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, who is a leading candidate for the Kentucky Derby.

The Southwest's remaining points - doled out on a scale of 4-2-1 – went to Wells Bayou, Answer In, and fourth-place finisher Shoplifted.

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Silver Prospector ($11.40) raced along the inside Monday under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., settling just off Wells Bayou, who took the field through fractions of 22.89 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.60 for the half-mile, and 1:11.72 for six furlongs. Silver Prospector was able to get out to engage Wells Bayou, and had moved past that one by the sixteenth pole. The winner covered 1 1/16 miles on a track rated fast in 1:43.01, one start after closing from next-to-last for fourth in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn.

“We thought that he was training really sharp,” Asmussen said. “We gave him too much to do in the Smarty Jones opening day. You saw how the track was playing and everything. He trained really good since, and obviously, I was very happy with the trip Ricardo worked out for him.”

Silver Prospector is a son of Declaration of War who was winning the third race of his eight-race career, with his other victory coming in a maiden special weight sprint in October at Keeneland. For that effort, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. Silver Prospector earned $450,000 for the win Monday, to improve his career earnings to $713,051. He was a $190,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company auction of 2-year-olds in training last April.

Asmussen said plans are for Silver Prospector to remain at Oaklawn.

“Oaklawn – not everybody likes the surface here – so with how much money you get to run for in the Derby preps here, it’s good that he likes it. We’re excited about the opportunity to run him back in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby.”

The Grade 2, $1 million Rebel will be run March 14 at Oaklawn and the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby follows on April 11.

Asmussen also trains Shoplifted, while Brad Cox trains both Wells Bayou and Answer In.

The attendance ontrack Monday was an estimated 19,500. Handle on the 10-race card from all sources was $7.4 million, according to figures provided by Oaklawn.