Making only his second American start, Wertheimer and Frere’s homebred SILENT
NAME (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) skimmed the rail into the stretch en route to a
convincing 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s $150,000
Arcadia H.
(G2). The four-year-old Gary Mandella charge, well handled by Rafael
Bejarano, finished the one-mile affair in 1:33 on Santa Anita’s firm turf.
Silent Name secured an advantageous position in the early stages, tucked in
just behind the leading Becrux (Ity) (Glen Jordan), who was pressed by Tedo
(Ger) (Sternkoenig) through swift opening fractions of :22 3/5 and :46. Late in
the backstretch, Silent Name looked eager to go on, and Bejarano threaded the
needle along the inside on the far turn to get his mount’s head in front through
six furlongs in 1:09 2/5. Despite the demanding early pace, Silent Name kept
finding more and was never threatened by the closers. Spurting two lengths clear
at the eighth pole while getting seven furlongs in 1:21 1/5, he maintained a 1
1/2-length margin at the wire.
“I tried to stay comfortable on my horse,” Bejarano said, “but he wanted to
go. I asked him a little bit at the three-eighths pole, and he just kept going.”
“He was ranker today than the first time I ran him, but it’s OK,” Mandella
said. “As long as he’s covered up, he’s OK.”
Chinese Dragon (Stravinsky), next to last after a half-mile, finished
strongly for the place, three-quarters of a length in front of Milk It Mick (GB)
(Millkom [GB]), who just held off a fast-closing Terroplane (Fr) (Verglas [Ire])
by a neck. Becrux faded to fifth, trailed by Sweet Return (GB) (Elmaamul),
Capitano (Belong to Me), Helm Bank (Wild Again), Tedo and Runaway Dancer
(Runaway Groom), who never recovered from a slow start.
As the 6-1 fourth choice, Silent Name paid dividends of $14.40, $7 and $4
while spearheading the $38.60 exacta, $122.80 trifecta and $508.10 superfecta
(6-8-1-4) (all exotics $1). Chinese Dragon was dispatched as the third choice at
4-1, returning $5 and $3.20, and 9-5 favorite Milk It Mick gave back $2.80.
While advancing his scoreline to 12-5-2-1, Silent Name boosted his bank
account to $263,511. The bay colt added this Grade 2 score to a resume which
already included a pair of listed race victories in France. In his American
debut last time out, he captured an allowance at Santa Anita.
The Japanese-bred was produced by French Group 3 queen Danzigaway (Danehill),
who is also the dam of a juvenile filly named Zigarra (Halling). Danzigaway is
herself a half-sister to French Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Gold
Away (Ire) (Goldneyev), who was ranked as the highweight older male at seven to
9 1/2 furlongs in France in 1999.
Mandella’s ultimate goal for Silent Name is the November 4 Breeders’ Cup Mile
(G1) at Churchill Downs.
“This horse can run a touch,” Mandella said. “I’m going to keep him at a mile
and probably run him twice, maybe three more times before the Breeders’ Cup
(Mile [G1] at Churchill Downs on November 4).”