Picture: Bentley Breland/Eclipse Sportswire
techniques of silence He fought his manner again from final place in a 12-horse discipline and outran his rivals in a straight line to win the G3 prize of $1 million. southwest Friday at Oaklawn by 3 1/4 lengths.
Jockey Cristian Torres scored an upset victory over Corridor of Fame coach Mark Cass and proprietor John Oxley within the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old horses, giving the highest 5 finishers 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying factors. Silent Ways (12-1) earned the utmost 20 factors and at present holds 25 factors general after ending second at Smarty Jones on Jan. 3.
Delayed six days as a result of winter climate, Southwest marked Kass’ third straight victory within the Kentucky Derby qualifying race at Oak Garden. Final season, the horse received the Arkansas Derby (G1) with Sandman and went 1-2 with Strategic Threat and Silent Tactic in Smarty Jones. Casse additionally received 4 races on Friday’s card, together with the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes with Search Celebration.
Favourite Dee Wire (2-1), who made his stakes and two-turn debut with a shocking six-furlong maiden end at Oaklawn Racetrack on Dec. 14, broke away sharply beneath jockey Luis Saez, crossing the quarter mile in 23.52 seconds and establishing the tempo for the half mile in 47.52 seconds. Buetan (3-1) was second, flanked by Rancho Santa Fe (9-1) and Soldier N Diplomat (7-1). Silent Tactic settled in eleventh place, greater than six lengths off the lead, by way of the primary half.
Decord was in a position to take the lead by way of three-quarters of a mile in 1 minute 12.81 seconds as Buetan put stress on him on the second nook. Soldier N Diplomat, led by Jose Ortiz and coached by Steve Asmussen, entered the stretch and moved into second place because the D’ chord started to empty.
Silent Tactic, who moved into sixth place on the head of the straight, delivered a robust driving kick and handed 9 horses with three-sixteenths of a mile to go. He accomplished the mile in 1:38.73 and completed in 1:44.85 on the quick essential course.
The win overturned Smarty Jones, whose stablemate Strategic Threat sprinted off Glacier’s tempo to win by 4 1/2 lengths over Silent Tactic. Friday’s second betting selection, Strategic Threat (9-2), was in sizzling pursuit from the beginning, however faltered and completed tenth. Deecord dropped to eighth place after a robust early efficiency.
Silent Tactic paid $26.00, $12.60, and $6.80. Soldier N Diplomat returned $9.00 and $5.00 for second place by a head to Buetan who paid $3.20 for the present. Buetan, who made Corridor of Fame coach Bob Baffert’s first begin with about two corners to go, got here near denying Baffert a record-tying seventh Southwest victory. Rancho Santa Fe completed in fourth place.
Circle Faucet rounded out the highest 5, adopted by Liberty Nationwide, Sleepingonfreedom, D’code, Spirit of Royal, Strategic Threat, Baytown Dreamer, and a moderated Reclamation. Litmus Check and Bricklin, favorites for a 5-2 program, have been harm.
Silent Tactic, a 3-year-old son of Tacitus produced in Kentucky by Don Alberto Company, is out of Gun Runner’s mare Magical Signal. Bought for $500,000 on the 2025 OBS Spring Sale, he made his first two begins on the artificial floor at Woodbine, ending second within the 1 1/16-mile Grey Stakes (G3). He improved his report to 4:2-2-0 and elevated his lifetime earnings to $594,422.
Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying collection continues with the $1 million Insurgent Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on March 1st and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on March twenty eighth.
