Going off as the favorite in a Santa Anita Maiden Special Weight, SILVER STATE’s Duke Silver didn’t disappoint with a 3 ½ length victory.
The 6 ½ furlong dirt race against his elders saw Duke Silver among those who went straight to the lead with the Mark Glatt trainee a few paths ride when racing in third.
He raced just about half a length off the leader down the backstretch before that one started to fade and it became a two-horse race. Duke Silver held a small advantage coming into the stretch but in just a blink on an eye, he was over a length ahead of the second placed runner.
Antonio Fresu didn’t have to ask for much late with the runner comfortably galloping home to win by 3 ½ lengths.
This was the third start for the Muir Hut Stables representative, who has finished in the top three in two of three starts with a fourth to his name as well.
Bred by English Range Farm, Duke Silver was a $335,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training purchase. He is the first foal to race out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Comic. That mare is out of the stakes placed Miss Super Quick, who is also the granddam of multiple stakes placed Zadorsky.
Miss Super Quick is one of three stakes performers out of Quickest, who produced Grade 1 winner and stakes producer Callback. This page gets even stronger one step back with Quickest a half-sister to Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver and Grade 3 winner Cyrus Alexander among many others.
Duke Silver is bred on the same Hard Spun x Distorted Humor cross that includes Grade 3 winner Island Town and two other stakes performers from 11 winners.