Silver State Aims to Extend Streak in Essex Handicap

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Silver State Aims to Extend Streak in Essex Handicap
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Photo: Coady Photography
Silver State (outside) gets up to win the Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park

The connections of Silver State hope their 4-year-old Hard Spun  colt can continue his top form as he enters the $500,000 Essex Handicap March 13 at Oaklawn Park off three straight victories.

Silver State closed out 2020 with allowance level victories at Keeneland and Churchill Downs in October and November. Campaigned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, Silver State then opened 2021 with a narrow victory over Hunka Burning Love in the Fifth Season Stakes Jan. 23 at Oaklawn.

Trainer Steve Asmussen sees potential for Silver State to put together a big season.

"(Silver State is) as beautiful as a horse can be," Asmussen said. "For the Winchells and the Hortons to show the patience they did with him last year, they deserve to have a huge 4-year-old campaign with him and we expect it to happen."

Video: Fifth Season S. (BT)



Steve Landers Racing's Night Ops will try to win the Essex a second straight year when the 5-year-old son of Warrior's Reward  starts from the outside in the expected field of six. A grade 3 winner trained by Brad Cox, Night Ops rallied from fifth to post a clear victory in last year's Essex. He enters off a third-place finish in the Fifth Season.

"I thought it was a good race off the layoff," said Cox. "(Night Ops) had been off a while. I thought he showed up and ran his race. Probably needs a little more ground and maybe a little bit better setup and, hopefully, he'll come back into form."

The race's initial highweight, multiple graded stakes winner Tax, was an early scratch from the 1 1/16-mile race for older horses, as first reported by Daily Racing Form.




Entries: Essex H.

Oaklawn Park, Saturday, March 13, 2021, Race 7

  • STK
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $500,000
  • 4 yo's & up
  • 3:08 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Uphold (IN) Fernando De La Cruz 113 John Haran 20/1
2 2Harpers First Ride (MD) David Cohen 119 Robertino Diodoro 4/1
3 3Rated R Superstar (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 114 Federico Villafranco 12/1
4 4Tax (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Danny Gargan 3/1
5 5Silver State (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Steven M. Asmussen 2/1
6 6Green Light Go (KY) Francisco Arrieta 116 Jerry Hollendorfer 6/1
7 7Night Ops (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Brad H. Cox 3/1