Silver Minister Streaks to WEBN Stakes Win

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The win gives trainer Greg Foley his second straight stakes victory with Silver Minister. The colt won the Turfway Prevue on January 3 and is now three-for-five lifetime with two seconds.

Sent off at 4-5, Silver Minister broke well and stayed just behind the pace-setting Danieltown for six of the eight furlongs. Jockey Rafael Bejarano, the meet's leading rider, asked Silver Minister to take over at the head of the stretch and he drew away easily to win by 5-1/4 lengths over Revolver Six. Dollar a Dip, ridden by Orlando Mojica, was third.

"The only thing I was concerned about was that we missed a lot of training," said Foley. "He showed he's got some class, running on limited training. He's got a lot more route pedigree than Champali – he's by Silver Deputy and on the dam's side (Mint Leaf by Capote) he's got route pedigree – and I don't see why he can't get a mile and a sixteenth, mile and an eighth. He's a quality kind of colt, this colt is. If he comes out the race good, we're going to the Battaglia."

The John Battaglia Memorial Stakes is the third of three Turfway stakes that Foley won with Champali last year. He said he intends to follow a similar path with Silver Minister.

Describing the victory, Foley said, "He's not a front-end horse. That Danieltown, he's an awful fast horse; I figured we'd be behind him. We broke good and we were in good shape going into the first turn. Danieltown almost has to be a front-end horse and I figured they'd be sending him. Our horse collared him and drew off from the head of the lane to the wire. Made it look pretty easy."

The WEBN was just the second start for runner-up Revolver Six, who finished 11th and last in a maiden special weight at Keeneland last October. Ridden today by James Sunseri, the horse went off at 69-1 and paid $29.80 for place.

Winning time for the WEBN Stakes was 1:41.98, and the winner paid $3.80 for his effort over the mile course. The track was rated good.

(Chart, Equibase)