Sterling Silver dominates Johnstone Mile

By Tom Law

Where Sterling Silver shows up, Mallory and Karen Mort often will follow.

The couple, who share a longtime association with Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, bred the daughter of Cupid and frequently travel to see her compete. They’ve been downstate to see her at Belmont Park and Aqueduct several times, to the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland in 2022 and of course to Saratoga Race Course.

Wednesday, they took in Sterling Silver’s convincing victory in the $121,250 Johnstone Mile Handicap and came away with something new when the daughter of Cupid romped by 9 3/4 lengths. Sterling Silver gave the Morts their first stakes win at Saratoga as breeders.

“This is the first one,” Mallory Mort said. “It’s been a lot of fun following her. We have one mare. You don’t get these chances very often.”

Sterling Silver won the Johnstone off a short two-week turnaround after finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap July 24. She finished 3 lengths behind Spirit Wind in that 6-furlong event, although never seriously threatening the winner.

Bet down to 3-4 from her 7-5 morning-line price – in part because of the race-day scratches of 9-5 second choice Cupid’s Heart and longshot Echo In Eternity – Sterling Silver also made her third start for trainer Bill Mott as the fifth week of the Saratoga meet got underway.

Mott joked about the turnaround after meeting with the media following Sterling Silver’s eighth victory in 25 starts.

“You know, a little bit of a bold move I suppose to run back on 10 days’ rest in today’s day and age,” Mott said. “But she seemed to handle it well.”

Sterling Silver handled her four opponents without too much difficulty in the Johnstone Mile. Racing longer than 7 furlongs for the first time since finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Critical Eye Stakes on Big Apple Showcase Day in late May 2023, Sterling Silver and jockey Junior Alvarado set up shop in third early as Sunset Louise dictated the tempo ahead of Smokin’ Hot Kitty.

Sunset Louise clicked off early fractions of :24.14 and :47.50 before Kendrick Carmouche made a decisive run to the lead aboard Smokin’ Hot Kitty midway around the far turn. Maggy’s Place followed Smokin’ Hot Kitty’s move to the outside with Sterling Silver tracking behind those two.

Smokin’ Hot Kitty led past the quarter-pole and 6 furlongs in 1:12.42 and turned for home in front a few paths off the rail. That opening left room for Sterling Silver and Junior Alvarado, who surged through at the 3/16ths pole and opened up in a flash. Sterling Silver added to her lead with every stride through the lane and won in 1:37.40.

“She did everything on her own,” Alvarado said. “We didn’t have to rush her off her feet. She was just dragging me around and I just had to wait for an opening. When I found it, I just gave her a little nudge and she finished up well.”

Maggy’s Palace edged Smokin’ Hot Kitty for the place spot by three-quarters of a length with Bustin Bay fourth and Sunset Louise fifth.

Owned by Mark Anderson, Sterling Silver collected $68,750 for the win and boosted her bankroll to $837,301. She won for the first time since taking an open handicap going 7 furlongs in early May at Tampa Bay Downs and improved her Saratoga record to 2-for-6 with a second.

Mott took over Sterling Silver’s training this spring after making one start for Lance Rutledge – a fifth in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day – after a long sting in retired trainer Tom Albertrani’s barn. Mott relished the chance to run Sterling Silver a bit longer than most of her prior races.

“She seemed to handle the mile really well today and did it easily,” Mott said. “She was in the bridle the whole way rather than having to scrub on her to make her keep up with the pace. She wants to go more than 6. Maybe 7 to a mile is a good distance for her.”

Foaled and raised at Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud – where Mallory Mort serves as farm manager – Sterling Silver is the fourth foal out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor.

Mort bought Sheet Music in foal to Midnight Lute for $14,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Her first foal, the Midnight Lute gelding Midnight Comedy, sold for $45,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Sheet Music is also the dam of the winning Central Banker mare Helene Jacqueline, who brought $35,000 at the 2018 Saratoga New York-bred sale; and Ortiz, an unraced son of Speighster that sold for $210,000 at the 2019 Saratoga New York-bred sale.

Sterling Silver would have sold in Saratoga’s New York-bred sale but Fasig-Tipton conducted its yearling sales in Kentucky because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Offered as Hip 51 in the Select Yearling Showcase, Sterling Silver wound up an RNA and later was purchased through private sale by agent David Hager for Anderson Acres for $13,000.

“There really are no interesting stories about her,” Mort said. “She was so boring, never had anything wrong, never had any problems. You can see how she acts when she comes out. She’s the most laid-back horse in the world.

“Unless you count that we took her to a sale and nobody seemed to like her. That was the year they had the New York-bred sale in Kentucky. It was the first sale and the lead-in to the main sale instead of the opposite, like here in Saratoga. Things were slow and she was fairly early. What are you going to do? I take them to the sale to sell them but it’s the way it goes.”

The Morts sold Sheet Humor, in foal to leading New York sire Central Banker, for $3,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. Sterling Silver made it to the races about a month later and won her debut at Aqueduct before a victory in January 2022 in the Franklin Square Stakes. She’s since competed in 11 graded stakes – finishing second in the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga and Grade 2 Gallant Bloom at Belmont at the Big A and ninth in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint – along with winning the 2023 Iroquois on Empire Showcase Day.

The Morts also fared well with the last foal they bred out of Sheet Humor. Rhetorical, a 3-year-old gelding by Not This Time, sold for $320,000 at the 2022 New York-bred yearling sale. He gave the Morts reason to cheer – in person of course at Saratoga – when he won his debut by 5 lengths going 1 mile on the inner turf July 26 for owners Siena Farm and WinStar Farm and trainer Will Walden.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/08/07/sterling-silver-dominates-johnstone-mile/

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