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Sterling Silver headlines $100K Bay Ridge

by Keith McCalmont

Mark T. Anderson’s Sterling Silver will look to secure her fifth career stakes win when she takes on 11 rivals in the $100,000 Bay Ridge, a one-turn mile for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up when live racing resumes on Friday, December 27, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott through her last five outings, the 5-year-old Cupid mare spent the majority of her career with now retired conditioner Tom Albertrani, topped by a trio of state-bred stakes wins and four graded placings.

She captured the state-bred Johnstone Mile Handicap in August at Saratoga Race Course in her third outing for Mott and followed by securing a fifth graded placing with a third-place finish in the local Grade 2 Gallant Bloom sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs over sloppy and sealed footing on September 29.

Sterling Silver [post 11, Junior Alvarado, 126 pounds] will cut back in distance from a rallying nose defeat to Venti Valentine in the nine-furlong Empire Distaff on October 27 at the Big A. She has worked back twice over dirt at Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown, Florida, including a half-mile in 49.20 on December 14.

Out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, Sterling Silver, bred by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort, was a $13,000 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. She has banked $917,301 in purse earnings through a 27-8-4-5 record that includes six Grade 1 attempts led by fourth-place finishes in the Madison in April at Keeneland and the 2022 Test at Saratoga.

John J. Witte and Morris E. Kernan, Jr.’s Golden Rocket [post 4, Mychel Sanchez, 123 pounds] has proven to be a successful claim thus far, entering from a rail-rushing victory in the $125,000 Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong test for eligible state-sired fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Trained by Ilkay Kantarmaci, the 5-year-old Alpha chestnut was haltered for $45,000 from a neck score in a six-furlong turf sprint here on October 10. She returned to finish a close fourth in the 6 1/2-furlong state-bred Iroquois on October 27 over the Big A main track ahead of her Staten Island coup.

There, Golden Rocket saved ground in third position under Manny Franco as Sunday Girl marked splits of 23.26 seconds and 46.77 over the muddy and sealed main track. Franco gave Golden Rocket her cue late in the turn and the mare surged bravely up the rail to take command en route to a 3 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:25.13. The winning effort registered a 74 Beyer Speed Figure and provided Golden Rocket her second NYSSS victory after taking the Spa’s 2022 Statue of Liberty on turf.

The victory also provided Kantarmaci his first stakes win as a trainer after taking over the stable for his brother Mertkan, who took a sabbatical in October to travel abroad after saddling Evvie Jets to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland.

“It was very special because it was my first stakes win. It was emotional. I hope we can do it again,” Kantarmaci said. “I think the track helped, but I think she's OK with any surface. Manny gave us a great ride. He kept her on the rail, and we had a great trip.”

Kantarmaci said one of the key reasons for haltering Golden Rocket was her versatility, boasting four wins on turf to go along with a pair of main-track scores at the Big A that includes a one-turn mile state-bred optional-claiming score here last December.

“This horse can do long, short, turf, dirt – anything,” Kantarmaci said. “This race is a little longer than last time, but I think she's still going to be OK at that distance going a mile.”

Kantarmaci, who has won seven races at the Big A since September 13, said Golden Rocket has trained well out of her Staten Island score, including a three-eighths breeze in 41.80 Sunday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“She's trained good - same routine. I hope we are awaiting the same good result,” Kantarmaci said.

Bred in the Empire State by Ballybrit Stables, Golden Rocket is out of the nine-time winning Touch Gold mare Taty’s Gold.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Tango Uniform Racing and Steven Rocco’s multiple stakes-winner Silver Skillet [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche, 126 pounds] returns to the main track in search of a fourth career state-bred stakes win.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old Liam’s Map grey captured the Suzie O’Cain last August over good Saratoga turf to open her stakes account and added the Spa’s off-the-turf one-mile Mount Vernon to her ledger in frontrunning fashion over muddy and sealed footing in June to score by four lengths during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. She followed that effort with a return to turf and another gate-to-wire romp when seven lengths the best in the 1 1/16-mile Port Washington over firm going on July 7 here.

Silver Skillet has made her last three outings in state-bred turf routes won by Moonage Daydream, topped by a pacesetting third last out in the Ticonderoga on October 27 here. She has breezed back four times over dirt at Payson Park, including a bullet five-eighths this morning in 1:01.80.

Bred by Robert Chasanoff, Silver Skillet, out of the stakes-winning Red Giant mare Catcha Rising Star, was a $260,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale. She boasts a record of 17-5-5-3 with $479,740 in earnings.

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds’ Cruise to Catalina will make her stakes debut for trainer Riley Mott.

The Catalina Cruiser sophomore has made four career starts against elders in state-bred company, graduating at first asking in June here by 6 1/2-lengths traveling six furlongs. She captured an allowance tilt two starts later by a comfortable seven lengths sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs in August at Saratoga and followed last out with an odds-on score in a local seven-furlong optional-claimer on October 20.

Cruise to Catalina has since trained over dirt at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, including a bullet half-mile in 48.45 on December 11.

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, the $130,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, out of the Tiznow mare Kaiserin, is a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Kloepatra.

She will carry 118 pounds when exiting post 8 under Sahin Civaci, who took leading jockey honors at the recently concluded Woodbine Racetrack meet with 170 wins.

Graded stakes-placed Stonewall Star [post 1, Dylan Davis, 123 pounds] will look to return to winning form following a troubled last-of-7 effort last out after stumbling at the break in the Grade 3 Go for Wand on December 7 here.

The 4-year-old Flatter bay, trained by Horacio De Paz for owner-breeder Barry Schwartz, last had her picture taken in the one-mile Biogio’s Rose against fellow state-breds on March 24 at the Big A. She landed a distant second to returning rival Silver Skillet in the off-the-turf state-bred Mount Vernon in June ahead of a pair of fourth-place efforts in state-bred stakes on turf.

Out of the Proud Citizen mare Jonata, Stonewall Star is a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner La Fuerza and a half-sister to stakes-winner Whatlovelookslike. Her second dam, Romp and Stomp, is a half-sister to 2002 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner Volponi.

Richie Rich Racing Stable’s ultra-consistent Sweet Brown Sugar [post 7, Jose Lezcano, 123 pounds], a seven-time winner from 11 starts, will look to double up on stakes scores following a seven-length romp in the state-bred Jack Betta Be Rite on October 21 at Finger Lakes.

Trained by Paul Barrow, the Collected sophomore exited the inside post under Jeremias Flores in the 1 1/16-mile test over a fast main track and opened up a 4 1/2-length lead at the stretch call en route to a facile score that matched a career-best 79 Beyer. The victory added to previous success in last year’s Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes, along with state-bred scores this year in the local East View in March and the Niagara in June at Finger Lakes.

Sweet Brown Sugar worked a half-mile in 50.85 December 7 over the Belmont dirt training track. The talented bay, bred by Chester and Mary Broman, was purchased for $32,000 at the OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale and is out of the winning Bodemeister mare Rachel’s Blue Moon. Her second dam is the graded stakes-placed Beautiful But Blue and her third dam is multiple stakes-winner Beautiful America.

Rounding out a robust field are multiple stakes-placed Lisa’s Vision [post 2, Romero Maragh, 121 pounds], who ran third last out to Golden Rocket in the Staten Island for trainer David Duggan; multiple stakes-placed Midtown Lights [post 3, Sofia Vives, 121 pounds], runner-up to Sweet Brown Sugar two starts back in the Jack Betta Be Rite for trainer Carlos David; stakes-placed Sweetest Princess [post 10, Manny Franco, 121 pounds] for trainer Fernando Abreu; a strong pair for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in stakes-placed Bon Adieu [post 9, Katie Davis, 121 pounds] and five-time winner Call Her Bluff [post 12, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds]; and 10-time winner Khali Magic [post 5, Luis Rivera, Jr., 121 pounds] for conditioner James Ferraro.

The Bay Ridge is slated as Race 8 on the nine-race card on Friday, December 27. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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