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​Silver Skillet with a sizzling performance to win $125K Suzie O’Cain

by Keith McCalmont

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and Tango Uniform Racing’s Silver Skillet secured her first stakes win in Wednesday’s $125,000 Suzie O’Cain, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for New York-bred sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Christophe Clement and piloted by Joel Rosario, the Liam’s Map grey saved ground in sixth down the backstretch before advancing with an inside rush through the final turn and angling out to circle her rivals at the top of the lane en route to a 3 1/4-length score.

“She [gave] a very good performance,” Rosario said. “It looked like she came home really nice.

"We are always concerned with how fast we were going, but it looked like she was responding really well to me,” added Rosario. “I feel very confident when turning for home, and every time I asked her she was there for me, so I was very confident.”

Kosuke set the early tempo through splits of 23.71 seconds and 46.80 over the good going with Im Just Kiddin and Collaboration stalking her early foot and the Clement-trained Smokie Eyes nicely gapped out in fourth.

Smokie Eyes tipped off the rail late in the turn and made her move to the outside of Collaboration but was no match for the onrushing Silver Skillet, who swiftly surfed past her rivals to take command at the stretch call. The Flavien Prat-piloted Orange Freeze attempted to follow the winner’s run, but Silver Skillet flashed away from the field in the blink of an eye and drew off comfortably to stop the clock in a final time of 1:41.67. 

The late-running Orange Freeze, last-out winner of the NYSSS Statue of Liberty, completed the exacta by three-quarters of a length over Bernt Again with Smokie Eyes, Thundara, Snowy Evening, Im Just Kiddin, Kosuke and Collaboration rounding out the order of finish. Main-track only entrants Amanda’s Folly and Ichiban were scratched.

Silver Skillet, a distant third in the Maid of the Mist in October at Belmont at the Big A, made her first five starts on the main track and graduated at fourth asking in December at Aqueduct Racetrack to complete her juvenile campaign. She started her sophomore season with a pair of starts at Belmont Park, returning with a distant fourth-place effort in May over Big Sandy before showing promise in her turf debut in June against older state-bred allowance company when second to next-out winner Lisa’s Vision. 

Silver Skillet, out of the stakes-winning Red Giant mare Catcha Rising Star, arrived at the Suzie O’Cain from a prominent half-length score against older New York-bred allowance horses here on July 15.

Clement said his filly, who is now 2-for-2 over the Spa turf, has responded exceedingly well to the surface switch and the softer footing.

“She won on it when she won the first race here [on July 15] and I think it was also more good turf than firm turf [that day]. I was pretty sure she was going to handle it,” Clement said. “She was a touch rank early on, but mentally she handled it.

“She ran on dirt as a 2-year-old because I did not quite realize that she was a turf horse – she’s a Liam’s Map,” added Clement. “Then we switched her to the turf and since we switched her, she’s always run nicely and finished second at Belmont. She’s won two here.”

Co-owner Dean Reeves, who said the horse is named after his favorite restaurant in Atlanta, credited Clement and assistant trainer Miguel Clement, for recognizing an opportunity to make a surface change.

“They see these horses every day and they start to learn more about them, and then they say, ‘Let’s give her a shot and try turf.’ It just helps her run so much smoother, I think, and it gives her that kick,” Reeves said. “She’s getting better as she’s getting used to it.”

The Bill Morey-trained Orange Freeze, claimed for $40,000 from Clement two starts back, entered from a rallying score over returning foe Bernt Again on debut for new connections on July 19 in the NYSSS Statue of Liberty.

Prat, who picked up the mount from Rosario, said he was pleased with the effort from the improving grey.

“I was behind the winner the whole way, so I was traveling well,” Prat said. “Then unfortunately, I had to go around one more horse than the winner. But she just took off again, so I think she was second best.”

Bred in the Empire State by Robert Chasanoff, Silver Skillet, a $260,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale, banked $68,750 in victory while improving her record to 8-3-1-2. She returned $8.50 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $125,000 Rick Violette in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.   

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/. 

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.