Stone Silent goes for series sweep in Captiva Island Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Stone Silent can become the first horse to win all three legs of the local grass sprint series for fillies and mares in the same season if she can complete the unique sweep with a victory Sunday in the $100,000 Captiva Island Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Stone Silent, purchased by her current owners, Victoriam Farm LLC, and turned over to trainer Brian Lynch during the fall, showed a new dimension when rallying from off the pace to capture the Abundantia Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths on Dec. 31. She was even better six weeks later when she registered an impressive 2 1/4-length triumph in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint. Both of those victories came at the expense of Choose Joy, who was not entered back in the Captiva Island.

Girls Know Best is the only filly to have won all three races in the five-furlong turf series, although she accomplished the feat during three separate meets. She won the Ladies’ Turf in January 2018, the Abundantia in December of that same year, and the Captiva Island in March 2020.

“I’d like to think she can do it again. It’s been a good meet for her,” said Lynch, who has had an outstanding winter himself and entered this weekend fifth in the trainer standings with 19 victories. “This looks like a little bit tougher race to me on paper than the others, but I think she’s come on again from her last race, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. She seems like she’s on her game down here. She likes what she’s doing, so we’ll let her keep on doing it.”

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As was the case in the Ladies’ Turf, Stone Silent will break from the rail again on Sunday under jockey Junior Alvarado, who has been aboard for both her previous victories.

Stone Silent could get her sternest test from a couple of new faces in the division, graded stakes winners Accomplished Girl and Secret Money.

Accomplished Girl returns to a sprint after trying two turns in each of her first two starts at the meet. Accomplished Girl, who won the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters going 6 1/2 furlongs over a synthetic track during the fall, was beaten less than a length after prompting the pace going a mile in the Grade 3 Suwannee River. She ran well again but was not quite good enough after setting a contested pace to midstretch before gradually fading to finish eighth, beaten three lengths by Didia, when stepping up in class once more in the Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Secret Money, who began her career locally on closing day of the 2023-24 Championship meet, won the Grade 3 Music City Stakes, also at 6 1/2 furlongs, late last summer at Kentucky Downs. She has not started since finishing seventh after a wide trip in the Holiday Inaugural Stakes over the synthetic strip Dec. 2 at Turfway Park but has posted a pair of bullet works at Palm Meadows in preparation for her 2024 debut.

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Fulminate, third, beaten 3 1/4 lengths after showing the way into the stretch in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint, will put blinkers on for the first time in her rematch with Stone Silent and is likely the one to catch again in the Captiva Island.

Future Is Now, who rebounded from a trio of average efforts with a gate-to-wire allowance victory over the local course last month for which she earned a near career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure, also figures forwardly placed from the outset. The Arcadian Way, Sol Hope, and Sara Mia complete the lineup.

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