After a second-place effort in the Mineshaft Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19, Silver Prospector will return on Saturday. The 5-year-old Declaration of War colt will run in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oaklawn Mile, where he will look for his first win at the distance.
In the Mineshaft, going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt, Silver Prospector set the pace before losing to Olympiad down the stretch. Before the Mineshaft, he opened his 2022 on Jan. 10 at Oaklawn, with a fifth-place finish in the Fifth Season, going one mile.
Silver Prospector’s last win came in an allowance race at Churchill Downs in 2020. Since then, he came closest to a victory in the Mineshaft and the 2021 Razorback (G3) at Oaklawn, also a runner-up finish.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, the horse will be ridden by Jose Lezcano in the Oaklawn Mile. He will start from post 6 on Saturday.
Silver Prospector will take on nine other older horses in Saturday’s race, including Cezanne, running for trainer Bob Baffert. The 5-year-old Curlin horse won against a short field in the San Carlos (G2) on March 5 at Santa Anita.
In that race, Cezanne pressed the pace, taking the lead around the turn before clearing the field mid-stretch and winning by 2 1/2 lengths. He opened his 5-year-old campaign with a third-place effort in the Palos Verdes (G3) on Jan. 29, also at Santa Anita.
The horse has run a one-mile race only once, a 2020 allowance race at Los Alamitos, which he won. Cezanne will be ridden by Flavien Prat in the Oaklawn Mile, where he will start from the fourth post position.
The Oaklawn Mile will mark the return of Roadster, who has not run since the Polynesian in September at Laurel Park, going one mile. The Quality Road horse dueled into the stretch in that race before weakening late to finish fourth.
Trained by Michael Stidham, Roadster will continue to try for his first win since the 2019 Santa Anita Derby (G1) on Saturday. His only prior victory going one mile was in 2019, in an allowance race at Santa Anita.
Roadster will start from post 5 on Saturday. He will be ridden by Francisco Arrieta.
Roadster, who placed 15th in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, will be joined by another Derby alum in the Oaklawn Mile, Necker Island. Trained by Chris Hartman, the 5-year-old Hard Spun horse finished ninth in the 2020 Derby.
Since then, Necker Island has largely switched to sprinting, collecting a stakes win in the 2021 Bet On Sunshine in November at Churchill Downs. He opened his 2022 season with a fourth-place effort in the Fifth Season at Oaklawn in January before winning in allowance company at the Hot Springs, Ark., track, going a mile.
Necker Island will break from the ninth post position. Mitchell Murill has the ride.
The Oaklawn Mile is carded as the ninth race of the day on Saturday, on a program that also includes the Fantasy (G3) and the Arkansas Derby (G1). Post time is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. EDT, with first post set for 1:10 p.m.
