(Chart, Equibase)
Darley Stable's homebred Silvestri avenged a loss in the Randeroo Handicap by rolling to a front-running victory in the $65,000 Ruthless Stakes, Monday's holiday feature at Aqueduct that drew 3,716 fans.The third consecutive winner on the card for jockey Eibar Coa, Silvestris assumed the lead early from favored Oprah Winney, who got the best jump out of the gate and then continued to dominant for a 1 1/4-length triumph over Livermore Valley. Getting the six furlongs over a good track in 1:11 1/5, the winner paid $5.30 and $3.10, with the runner-up paying $3.70. Jet Set Broad finished third and Sprah Winney last. With the field reduced to four following the scratch of Spenny, there was no show wagering.Trainer Tom Albertrani partially attributed the victory to a shift in weights from the Randeroo, in which Silvestris carried 118 pounds to finish second to Oprah Winney, who also toted 118. In the Ruthless, Oprah Winney was the co-highweight at 122, with the winner carrying 116. "I think the biggest things that might have helped us today were the shift in weights and that she likes a wet track." Albertrani said. "Today and the day she broke her maiden were very similar types of racetracks. The way it worked out, everything set up fine for us. The opening quarter I was a little concerned. The 4-horse (Livermore Valley) gave us a run, but we had a little more left." "I had a lot of confidence in her," Coa said. "She tries every time. Today was a tough field, but she's got the heart and she proved it. She's very game. She kept digging all the way." A 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Forest Wildcat, Silvestris finished third in her first two career starts before breaking her maiden Oct. 10 at Belmont Park. That was followed by a second-place finish in allowance company before the Randeroo.