Raw Silk turned in a huge performance in the rain two back on May 21st when she went box-to-wire on Belmont’s “good” turf course through an easy half in 49.13 to win the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes by four and a quarter lengths. She covered the nine furlongs in 1:48 2/5 seconds, and will look to take them all the way in the Lake Placid at the same distance.
Conditions in Raw Silk’s last race were not as favorable, however. The daughter of Malibu Moon went to the lead again in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park on July 5th through a swift half in 47.07, fading to eighth at a mile and a quarter on a “firm” turf course.
“I don’t know that she really sat the trip too well,” said Albertani of Raw Silk’s disappointing effort. “She looked a little light when she arrived [in California] that week. I’m also not sure she really liked going a mile and a quarter.”
While cross-country trips often take tolls on horses, Albertrani says Raw Silk has recovered well from her journey.
“She’s been training well,” he said. “She worked well the other day - went 1:01 for five furlongs - and looks to be coming into the Lake Placid in good shape.”
Raw Silk was purchased for $460,000 by Darley Stable as a two-year-old and has two wins from seven career starts for $143,438 in earnings. She will be ridden by Alan Garcia.
Flying Zee Stables’ I Lost My Choo will look to extend her winning streak to three in the Lake Placid and avenge her loss to Raw Silk in the Sands Point. The New York-bred, trained by Phil Serpe, finished third behind Raw Silk in one of only two non-winning efforts she has put in this year.
After breaking her maiden in her second career start and first of 2008 back in January at Gulfstream Park, I Lost My Choo moved through her early allowance conditions before finishing third in back-to-back stakes and then winning her last two-- the Elmont Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont on June 28th and the Grade 3 Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs on July 19th.
“She’s just a good horse,” said Serpe of his star. “It’s as plain as it is on paper.”
I Lost My Choo was entered in last Thursday’s Statue of Liberty Division of the New York Stallion Series last Thursday, where she would have been a prohibitive favorite, but was scratched when the race came off the turf.
“We had no other option [but to scratch her], actually,” explained Serpe. “We were not in any way going to run her on the main track.”
I Lost My Choo, a home-bred by Western Expression-Fairy Queen, by Tom Rolfe, has five wins from eight starts for $271,600.
Two European horses will also compete in the Lake Placid. Zaskar , who made her U.S. debut with a troubled-trip tenth place finish in the American Oaks, has been transferred to trainer John Terranova for Sovereign Stable. She ran five times overseas, with three wins in Great Britain and a second place finish in a listed stakes in France.
Terranova has opted to run her with blinkers in the Lake Placid.
Rosa Grace has not run stateside yet, and will get some class relief in the Lake Placid after finishing a well-beaten twelfth of 14 in the Grade 1 Irish Oaks at The Curragh in July. She is a listed stakes winner in Great Britain.
The field for Friday’s Grade 2 Lake Placid:
PP. HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY WGT.
1. Escanto Park Henry Collazo Jorge Chavez 116
2. Rosa Grace (GB) Rae Guest Julien Leparoux 118
3. I Lost My Choo Phil Serpe Edgar Prado 120
4. Namaste’s Wish Bill Mott Kent Desormeaux 118
5. Much Obliged Malcolm Pierce Shaun Bridgmohan 118
6. Backseat Rhythm Pat Reynolds Javier Castellano 116
7. Zaskar (GB) John Terranova III John Velazquez 116
8. Raw Silk Tom Albertrani Alan Garcia 120
Zaskar will race with blinkers.