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Graded stakes winner Pure Silver highlights field in Saturday's Fifth Avenue

by Brian Bohl

Twin Creeks Racing Stable's graded stakes winner Pure Silver will look to cap her juvenile campaign on a high note as part of a field of six in the 33rd running of the $150,000 Fifth Avenue for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Part of the New York Stallion Series, the Fifth Avenue, contested at six furlongs, will feature Pure Silver in her first start since running second in the Key Cents on November 24 at the Big A, finishing a length behind I Still Miss You.

The Mission Impazible filly started her career 3-for-3, including a win in the Lynbrook on July 16 before capturing the Grade 2 Adirondack by 9 ½ lengths on August 12 at Saratoga Race Course, earning the Todd Pletcher trainee a personal-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

Pure Silver finished fourth in her first Grade 1 appearance in the Spinaway on September 2 and followed that up with a flat seventh-place finish in the Maid of the Mist before rebounding in the Key Cents, contested at the Fifth Avenue distance.

Jockey Christopher DeCarlo will have the call for the first time aboard Pure Silver, drawing post 2.

Wegetsdamunnys will take a step up in class as she makes her first start on a NYRA track after sandwiching two wins around a second-place finish at Finger Lakes.

Owned and trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the daughter of D'funnybone is coming off a 6 ¼-length score against allowance company last out at the Fifth Avenue distance on November 16, drawing off to defeat a six-horse field. After winning her debut on October 2, the gray or roan filly ran second her first stakes appearance against 12 competitors in the Shesastonecoldfox on October 23, finishing 2 ¼-lengths behind Indy's Lady on a track labeled fast.

"She's coming into the race doing well and it seems like she's always very straight forwarded," Englehart said. "She gives us a good, honest effort every time. Hopefully, she can compete with these horses and give us a big effort."

Wegetsdamunnys will ride from the outside post with Manny Franco aboard.

Joseph Birnbaum's Beaux Arts will look to rebound from a sixth-place finish against allowance company last out on October 18 at Belmont on the turf.

Trained by Russell Cash, Beaux Arts had made three consecutive stakes appearances - all on the dirt - before switching back to grass.

The Freud filly was second in her stakes debut, closing to within 4 ½ lengths of Bronx Beauty in the Colleen on August 5 at Monmouth. Back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the Seeking the Ante and Joseph A. Gimma, respectively, prompted a step-down in class and a return to the turf. Beaux Arts will now return to the main track in her first start at Aqueduct, drawing post 4 with Angel Arroyo aboard.

Aunt Babe will be running against stakes company for the third straight time after winning her debut on September 8 on Big Sandy. Trained by Carlos Martin, Aunt Babe will be looking to place in a stakes after running sixth in the Joseph A. Gimma and seventh in the Shesastonecoldfox.

Drawing post 3, Aunt Babe will make her first start at Aqueduct with Eric Cancel in the irons.

Miss Hot Stones, for trainer Ollie Figgins, and Velvet Trinni, for trainer Trevor Simpson, will make their stakes debut from posts 5 and 1, respectively.