After working a quiet second in his preliminary filth begin within the Jan. 3 Smarty Jones Stakes, Silent Tactic introduced his Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve credentials with a hard-charging, widening victory within the $1 million Southwest Stakes Feb. 6 at Oaklawn Park.
Although overshadowed by others coming into the 1 1/16-mile race — together with his Mark Casse-trained and John Oxley-owned stablemate Strategic Danger, who had overwhelmed him within the Smarty Jones — he closed with authority within the Southwest, blowing previous 9 horses within the stretch whereas giving each look of a horse very prone to relish the traditional Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.
Fanned out broad Friday into the stretch by Cristian Torres, he completed filled with run to take command contained in the sixteenth pole on his option to a 3 1/4-length victory over runner-up Soldier N Diplomat, who had taken a short lead between calls in midstretch after stalking the tempo.
Oxley’s Silent Tactic, who in victory grew to become the primary stakes winner for second-crop sire Tacitus, clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.85. He paid $26 to win.
Torres celebrated by standing up within the irons as Silent Tactic accomplished his closing strides to the end line.
“I knew there was going to be a variety of tempo within the race, so I used to be not apprehensive about being shut or wherever I used to be going to be,” Torres stated in an in-house interview. “I simply broke and let him be wherever he needs to be, and he responded on the quarter pole. He confirmed up.”
The Bob Baffert-trained Southern California invader Buetane, who chased pacesetter D’code, the two.30-1 favourite, by quarter-mile fractions of :23.52, :47.52, and 1:12.81, was third, adopted by Rancho Santa Fe in fourth.
Disappointing for Oxley and Casse, Strategic Danger got here underneath a drive on the second flip and weakened to tenth.
The Southwest, the richest race to this point on the 2026 Street to the Kentucky Derby, supplied qualifying factors on a 20-10-6-4-2 foundation to its prime 5 finishers, supplied they’re Triple Crown nominees. Officers at Churchill Downs, the place the Could 2 Kentucky Derby is contested, use qualifying factors to advertise the race and as a desire system when the primary leg of the Triple Crown attracts greater than its most subject measurement of 20 horses.
Silent Tactic is now atop the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 25 factors, a complete that features 5 factors he picked up within the Smarty Jones.
The Southwest, initially carded for Jan. 31, was postponed due to subfreezing temperatures in Arkansas that left the filth observe frozen for greater than every week. The climate was considerably higher Friday, with excessive temperatures within the 70s.
Casse speculated that the misplaced coaching time might have compromised Strategic Danger, saying it may well impression some horses and never others.
“I’m wondering if it affected him a bit of bit, however it certain made Silent Tactic actually good,” he informed FOX Sports activities.
Silent Tactic, bought final yr by bloodstock agent Justin Casse for $500,000 from the Thorostock consignment to the Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales Spring Sale of 2-12 months-Olds in Coaching, was bred in Kentucky out of the Gun Runner mare Magical Signal. He notched his second profession victory within the Southwest after scoring on debut Oct. 10 as a 2-year-old at Woodbine on its all-weather Tapeta floor. He later ran second within the Nov. 2 Gray Stakes there earlier than his runner-up end within the Smarty Jones.
He earned $495,000 by taking the Southwest, bringing his profession earnings to $594,422.
Tacitus, who received the Wooden Memorial Stakes in 2019 earlier than persevering with that yr to run third within the Kentucky Derby and second within the Belmont Stakes, stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Central Kentucky for $5,000.
Three contributors of the Southwest have gone on to win the Derby: Lil E. Tee (1992), Smarty Jones (2004), and Mystik Dan (2024). Smarty Jones and Mystik Dan received each races, whereas Lil E. Tee ran third within the Southwest.
Casse didn’t instantly decide to working Silent Tactic again within the March 1 $1 million Insurgent Stakes, the subsequent leg in Oaklawn’s stakes sequence for 3-year-olds. That 1 1/16-mile race precedes the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby at 1 1/8 miles March 28.
“We’ll determine it out, however we’re not leaving Oaklawn,” he stated.
Search Occasion Finds Daylight, Takes Martha Washington
Casse and Torres had earlier high-level stakes success Friday at Oaklawn when Tracy Farmer’s Search Occasion shook freed from visitors on the second flip earlier than surging to outkick late-running Newtown Pike by a neck within the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
The victorious daughter of Gun Runner, who stalked the tempo inside in third for the primary half-mile earlier than falling to fifth when caught behind horses on the second flip, tipped out three broad to discover a clear path within the stretch on her option to finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.56.
She was certainly one of 4 winners on the cardboard for the Corridor of Fame coach, who’s having fun with a banner Oaklawn Park meet.
