Silver Max the one to beat in the Arlington Classic
Mark Bacon’s rampant 3-year-old colt, Silver Max spent the whole of 2011 in breaking his maiden, when in five attempts; distances ranging from five and a half furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and everything in between and at four different venues, Silver Max was valiant in defeat each time, as he finished second in all those five attempts.
As the New Year dawned, so did Silver Max’s career, as he broke his maiden in the first attempt of the new campaign over a mile at Gulfstream Park.
Dale Romans trained colt did vie for the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, but it seemed that he was rushed into that race, as he finished fifth to winner, Algorithms.
The Kentucky bred colt than put things into perspective, and rallied home to down a claimer at Gulfstream Park over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on 9 March, 2012, and ended the Gulfstream Park meet on a winning note.
Shipped to Keeneland, Silver Max was determined in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes over the venue’s turf course, and downed it over Travel Advisory and the even money choice, State of Play, as both of them finished behind Silver Max in second and third, respectively.
Travel Advisory was defeated once again in second, when Silver Max won the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs under new jockey, Rafael Bejarano on Kentucky Oaks day.
The son of Badge of Silver topped the 1 1/16 mile distance on turf in 1 minute and 41.10 seconds, as the favourite, Howe Great, finished third.
Looks like, Silver Max, appears the one to collar in the $125,000 Arlington Classic, at Arlington Park on 26 May, 2012.
Over a distance of 1 1/16 miles, he will have obvious threat from trainer Tim Ice’s No Spin and Slamit.
“I’m particularly anxious to see how Slamit runs over the grass (in the Classic),” Ice said. “He has never run a race on grass; in fact, he’d never even stepped on a turf course until last Sunday when I worked him and No Spin together on the turf here. I thought he worked really well going over it.”
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