Wynn Dot Comma hangs on

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Marty Wolfson believed his best chance of winning the Swale Stakes was having Edgar Prado put into the race from the start. Nick Zito believed his best chance of Eurosilver staying on course for the May 1 Kentucky Derby was running a good race in the Swale.

Both trainers got what they wanted and Edgar Prado got his 5,000th career victory as Wynn Dot Comma held off a hard-charging Eurosilver by a head to win the Grade 3, $150,000 at Gulfstream Park. It was another 4 1/4 lengths back to Dashboard Drummer. Chapel Royal faded to fourth after setting the pace. Caiman finished last.

Prado, 36, became just the 19th jockey to win 5,000 races.

Wynn Dot Comma had won 4 of 5 starts as a 2-year-old by racing on the pace. In two starts this year - a win in the Spectacular Bid and a fourth in the Hutcheson - he came from off the pace.

Wolfson changed jockeys from Joe Bravo to Prado and instructed Prado to use the colt's speed.

Wynn Dot Comma put the pressure on Chapel Royal from the outside, and the two were heads apart through a half-mile run in 44.64 seconds. Wynn Dot Comma put Chapel Royal away at the quarter pole, opened up a clear lead turning for home, and held Eurosilver at bay.

Wynn Dot Comma, owned by Martin Cherry, covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.87 and returned $10.

"I knew when he put away Chapel Royal he'd be tough to catch, and I knew he could put away Chapel Royal; he's got that kind of speed,'' Wolfson said.

Zito was thrilled with Eurosilver's race. Under Javier Castellano, Eurosilver stalked the pace, then had a little trouble switching leads, but kicked strongly when he did. He galloped out past the winner. Eurosilver will run next in the Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 10.

"He's going to fit really perfect in there - he loves the two turns, you know how nice he won that race in the fall,'' Zito said, referring to the Lane's End Futurity. "We got the two races in him, now we got to go for the gusto."