Silver Swallow Can Avenge Loss in Hollywood BC Oaks

(from Hollywood Park report)
Silver Swallow, second to eventual Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rags to Riches in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I), will try to avenge a narrow loss to Railbird Stakes (gr. III) winner Ashley's Kitty when the pair meet in Sunday's $150,000 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks (gr. II) at Hollywood Park.

Silver Swallow has a win and a pair of seconds and thirds in seven starts, only missing the money when she finished seventh in the Providencia (gr. IIIT) on turf in April at Santa Anita. The daughter of Alphabet Soup was favored in the Railbird at Hollywood on May 13, rallying in the stretch of the seven-furlong event only to fall a nose short of longshot Ashley's Kitty.

The pair will stretch out to 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track in the Hollywood Oaks, which has drawn a contentious group of eight 3-year-old fillies.

Silver Swallow, trained by co-owner Bruce Headley, will be attempting to win her first race around two turns. She finished 5 1/2 lengths back of Rags to Riches in the Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles. She enters the Hollywood Oaks with earnings of $120,840. Ashley's Kitty, trained by Ted West, suffered her lone defeat in four starts on turf, finishing ninth in the Providencia. Winner of her first two starts earlier this year, she rallied under apprentice jockey Joe Talamo to win the Railbird at odds of 17-1. The daughter of Tale of the Cat has made $119,400 for Oak West Farm.

Seaside Affair, trained by John Sadler for Edmund Gann, shifts to Cushion Track after making her last three starts on turf. She broke her maiden on Hollywood Park's synthetic surface in November and won a one-mile allowance race on the main track at Santa Anita. She has earned $99,786.

Tough Tiz's Sis, a daughter of Tiznow trained by Bob Baffert, finished seventh in the Kentucky Oaks in her most recent start. Second in the allowance race won by Seaside Affair at Santa Anita, she came back to win back-to-back races, the latter victory coming in the WinStar Oaks at Sunland Park. She has made $190,032.

Hucking Hot, an English-bred trained by Paddy Gallagher for Jim Ford and partners, has made six of her eight starts on turf. She won the restricted Hidden Lite at Santa Anita while making her North American debut in October, then finished fifth in Hollywood's Miesque Stakes (gr. IIIT). Making her first start on Cushion Track, she finished fourth in the 2006 Hollywood Starlet (gr. I). In her lone 2007 start, she was beaten a head while finishing second to Passified in the China Doll at Santa Anita on March 3. She has earnings of $99,088.

Spenditallbaby is the most experienced filly in the field with three wins, three seconds and a third in 12 starts for earnings of $189,650. The California-bred daughter of Unusual Heat has placed in several stakes, including a second to Hucking Hot in the Hidden Lite. She was fourth in the 2006 Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. II) and third in the 2006 Miesque. After making her last four starts on turf, she returns to Cushion Track where she was second in the Sharp Cat Stakes in November.

$150,000 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks (gr. II, Race 8, 4:50 p.m.), 3-Year-Old Fillies, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Hucking Hot (GB), 115, Victor Espinoza
2. Ashley's Kitty (KY), 113, Joseph Talamo
3. Tough Tiz's Sis (KY), 119, Aaron T. Gryder
4. Follow the Clues (KY), 113, Jon K. Court
5. Silver Swallow (FL), 113, Alex O. Solis
6. Spenditallbaby (CA), 115, Martin Garcia
7. High Cholesterol (CA), 113, Michael C. Baze
8. Seaside Affair (KY), 115, Richard Migliore