Maryland Thoroughbred

Current Press Releases and News

Silmaril Charges To Victory In Northview Stallion Station Stakes
BALTIMORE, 04-23-05---Quick and Feifarek's Silmaril (Diamond - Kattebuck by Spend a Buck) won in workmanlike fashion in the inaugural running of the $100,000 Northview Stallion Station Stakes for 3-year-old and up fillies and mares who are Maryland-breds or Maryland Million nominated.
Under jockey Ryan Fogelsonger, Silmaril tracked the pacesetters to the top of the lane, then wrested command a furlong from home and drove to a 1 1/2 length victory in the 1-1/8 mile test, completing the distance in 1:53.71 over a fast main track. Granta's Moon finished a game second. Chrusciki took third.? Post time favorite He Loves Me never got untracked and finished next-to-last.
Silmaril paid $5.80.
Fogelsonger said, "I knew what was going on in front of me and I saw Chrusciki wasn't going as well as Pino's horse (Grant's Moon), so I decided to go outside of Pino and figured He Loves Me should be coming sometime or another. I just worried about what was in front of me and kept it going."
Silmaril, a winner of eight of thirteen starts including five stakes, is trained by Chris Grove. The trainer said, "She's very consistent, very professional and she does everything perfect. She's been like this from the get-go. She does everything I ask her to do. There's a stakes here the day before Preakness (Pimlico Distaff) and that's where she's headed."
He Loves Me, who won five stakes races a year ago in the Richard Small barn, was making her first start for trainer Christophe Clement. She never fired and barely avoided a last place finish.
Jose Santos, who rode He Loves Me, said, "She was fine. She just never picked up the bit.? She just kept dropping back and back.? Normally that's not the way she runs.? She's a better filly than that."
Fogelsonger, who escaped major injury for the second time in a little more than a month, suffering bumps and bruises from a spill Thursday at Pimlico, indicated Silmaril was the main reason he rode the card.
"I had three stakes today and knew she had a big chance," added Fogelsonger.
-mjc-