Silver Wagon on Track for Holy Bull

Edited from track notes

Hopeful Stakes hero Silver Wagon is ready to go for Saturday's $100,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III), and according to his trainer, Ralph Ziadie, is poised to turn the tables on rival Second of June in the 1 1/16 mile race.

Second of June won the What A Pleasure Stakes at Calder Race Course Dec. 13 with Silver Wagon five lengths behind in third. It was Silver Wagon's first start since winning the Hopeful at Saratoga last summer and Ziadie, in hindsight, wasn't very surprised by the result.

"He wasn't quite ready and he needed a race," said Ziadie. "He's a lot different horse this time. He's much fitter."

Ziadie shipped Silver Wagon to Gulfstream Monday morning for a workout. The son of Wagon Limit went five furlongs in :59 2/5, handily, in the second-fastest move of the 20 workers at that distance.

"I needed him to get accustomed to the track and to the shipping process," said Ziadie. "It was like a schooling process."

A colt that wins one of the major races for 2-year-olds is expected to be a major factor on the Triple Crown trail the following year, but Ziadie is trying not to overplay his hand with the Buckram Oak Farm runner.

"He's all right and doing good," said Ziadie. "I'm just a little fish in a big ocean. We're just taking it one step at a time. There's lots of good horses that are going to be in that race (Saturday)."