Silver Prospector (Declaration of War) pulled off the upset beneath the Twin Spires Saturday, besting previously undefeated Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Tiz the Law, who was the talk of the town since his decisive score in the GI Champagne S. Oct. 5, finished third in a photo with longshot Finnick the Fierce (Dialed In). The win provided trainer Steve Asmussen wit a sweep of the day's graded events as he saddled Finite (Munnings) to his first victory in the GII Golden Rod S. earlier on the card.
Silver Prospector raced in mid-pack as 84-1 shot New Eagle (Street Boss) showed the way through early splits of :24.39 and :49.92 with Tiz the Law racing a length off the leader, boxed in on the fence in a joint third. Launching a three-wide bid on the backstretch run, the gray drew alongside the pacesetter and South Bend (Algorithms) turning for home with Tiz the Law crying out for running room behind them. South Bend backed out of it in early stretch, making room for Tiz the Law to join the fray between Silver Prospector and a game New Eagle as Finnick the Fierce ranged up menacingly on their outside. The pacesetter threw in the towel leaving Silver Prospector and Tiz the Law to battle it out as Finnick the Fierce continued his charge on the outside, but it was Silver Prospector who pulled clear at the line to score at odds of 7-1. Finnick the Fierce nosed out favored Tiz the Law in a photo for second.
“It's very special to have horses compete at the highest level on days like today,” said Asmussen, who also won previous runnings of the Kentucky Jockey Club with Private Vow (2005) and Tapiture (2013). “This horse has learned how to relax and was able to do that very well today.”
“He was able to relax behind horses today and was really comfortable the entire trip,” said winning rider Ricardo Santana, who also piloted Finite. “He showed a lot of strength being able to kick that hard in the stretch.”
As for the beaten favorite, jockey Manny Franco said, “He handled the mud okay but I never was able to get him out of that spot on the rail. He felt good the entire way, but he got a little too far behind horses and we never got through.”
“Well, it's disappointing it's not our day today,” said Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns Tiz the Law. “We sent him down here to get a run over the track and we got into some trouble in the race. Hopefully we can move forward out of this and we'll figure out a plan for what can be next.”
Fourth when unveiled on the turf at Belmont July 6, Silver Prospector was third next out in a two-turn grass event at Saratoga Aug. 3 and was sixth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S. Sept. 7. Switched to the dirt next out at Keeneland Oct. 13, he graduated by two lengths in a 6 1/2-panel event and was third next out behind the re-opposing South Bend and Fighting Seabee (Summer Front) in this venue's one-mile Street Sense S. Oct. 27.
Pedigrees Notes:
Silver Prospector is the 25 black-type victor, 14th graded winner and first graded winner on dirt for his sire Declaration of War, a son of War Front, who was a multiple Group 1 winner on turf, but finished a close third in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. He is the 14th graded winner out of a daughter of Tapit and second on the day following Golden Rod victress Finite. The winner's MSP dam Tap Softly was barren in 2018, but produced a Carpe Diem filly Feb. 20 of this year and was bred back to Maclean's Music.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB S.-GII, $300,000, Churchill Downs, 11-30, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.94, sy.
1–SILVER PROSPECTOR, 122, c, 2, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Tap Softly (MSP, $207,696), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Silentlea, by Cherokee Run
3rd Dam: Lea Carter, by Dr. Carter
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($50,000 Ylg
'18 KEESEP; $190,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR). O-Ed & Susie Orr;
B-Hargus & Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $180,420.
Lifetime Record: 6-2-0-2, $255,551. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Finnick the Fierce, 122, g, 2, Dialed In–Southern Classic, by
Southern Image. O-Arnaldo Monge & Rey Hernandez; B-Blu
Sky Stables (KY); T-Rey Hernandez. $58,200.
3–Tiz the Law, 122, c, 2, Constitution–Tizfiz, by Tiznow.
($110,000 Ylg '18 SARAUG). O-Sackatoga Stable; B-Twin Creeks
Farm (NY); T-Barclay Tagg. $29,100.
Margins: 3/4, HD, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.90, 87.90, 0.60.
Also Ran: Enforceable, New Eagle, South Bend, Fighting Seabee, Two Last Words. Scratched: Shotski. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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