The runner-up in photo-finishes in his last three outings, Stronach Stables’
homebred SILVER WHISTLE (Alphabet Soup) finally won a close one, getting up by a
neck in Saturday’s $150,000
Pan
American H. (G3) to register his first stakes victory. Under a heady ride by
Edgar Prado, the Bill Mott trainee finished the 1 1/2-mile event in 2:24 1/5 on
the firm turf.
Silver Whistle was well positioned throughout, tracking the pace along the
rail as Ramazutti (Honor Grades) dictated splits of :24 1/5, :48 2/5, 1:13 1/5
and 1:38 2/5. Prado then struck from his forward position on the far turn as he
angled Silver Whistle to the outside and took dead aim on the leader, who got 10
furlongs in 2:01 2/5. The nearly 32-1 Ramazutti proved difficult to peg back in
the stretch, however, and it looked for some time as though Silver Whistle was
bound to lose another nailbiter. Only as they neared the wire did the gray begin
to claw ever closer, and he just stretched his neck out to get the decision.
Ramazutti’s stablemate from the Todd Pletcher barn, the 9-5 favorite Go Deputy
(Deputy Minister), was another two lengths back in third, a head in front of
Einstein (Brz) (Spend a Buck).
“I was able to stay behind the speed and bide my time,” Prado said. “So it
worked out beautiful because I was able to run down that other horse (Ramazutti)
the last part of it.”
“It took him all the way to the wire to finally win one of these,” Mott said.
“I guess he needed the extra distance. He had a nice trip inside. We knew he
would be able to step up to this level of competition. Hopefully, there’s more
to come.”
As the co-second choice at 5-2, Silver Whistle paid $7.20, $5 and $2.80. The
surprising Ramazutti returned handsome dividends of $32.80 and $7.80 while
boosting the $1 exacta to $107.10. Go Deputy yielded $2.40 and rounded out the
$239.50 trifecta. With the 5-2 Einstein in fourth, the 5-1-4-9 superfecta was
worth $786.50.
Sabre d’Argent (Kris S.), Scooter Roach (Mi Cielo), Broadway View (Broad
Brush) and El Duque (Arg) (Distinct Reality) completed the order of finish.
Ground Hero (Dynaformer) was scratched.
The four-year-old Silver Whistle’s scoreline now reads 9-3-3-0 with $250,330
in his account. Last summer at Saratoga, he was second by a nose in both the
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2) and Saranac S. (G3). After
enjoying a five-month holiday, he returned to action in a Gulfstream allowance
in February only to go down in another tight finish after a troubled trip.
Bred by Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Kentucky, Silver Whistle is out of
the stakes-winning Polish Polka (Polish Numbers), who is also the dam of a
juvenile colt named Whistling Tom (Red Bullet), an unnamed yearling filly by
Macho Uno and a 2006 colt foal by Indy King. Silver Whistle’s granddam is
multiple stakes winner Double Bunctious (Spring Double), an earner of more than
$500,000 who won or placed in 14 stakes during her five-year career.