Michael Dubb’s Silver Timber ran down pacesetter Mr. Nightlinger in mid-stretch and went on to win the $125,000 Woodford (gr. IIIT) (VIDEO) by 1 1/4 lengths Oct. 10 at Keeneland.
It was the second graded stakes victory for Silver Timber this season after being claimed for $25,000 in April. The 6-year-old son of Prime Timber is trained by Chad Brown.
Silver Timber covered 5 1/2 furlongs on the soft turf course in 1:04.67 under Julien Leparoux.
Mr. Nightlinger, who had won twice over the Keeneland grass, broke like a rocket from post 2 under Jamie Theriot and took the field of eight around in splits of :22.02 and :45.97. Bullet From Abroad pressed the pace, while Leparoux kept Silver Timber in perfect striking position toward the outside of the leader.
Mr. Nightlinger carried a one-length advantage into the stretch, but Silver Timber was bearing down on the son of Indian Charlie and caught him just inside the sixteenth-pole. Mr. Nightlinger was runner-up, two lengths in front of Goldzar.
Silver Timber was claimed out of a five-furlong contest at Gulfstream Park on April 4 and has won four of five starts since, including the July 18 Jaipur (gr. IIIT) at Belmont. His lone setback was last out in the Sept. 6 Commentator Stakes at Saratoga when losing by a neck.
"A lot of credit goes to Mike Dubb," Brown said. "He'd been following the horse and asked me to go look at him that day, so we (claimed) him."
Bred in New York by Sez Who Thoroughbreds and out of the Alwuhush mare River Princess, Silver Timber is now 9-3-5 from 29 starts. He has earned $411,108.
Sent off as the slight favorite, the winner paid $3.60, $3, and $3.20. The exacta (7-2) returned $18.20 and the trifecta (7-2-9) was $240.60.