Trotter speaks
loudly when he minds his manners
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
When
it comes to the 6-year-old trotter Silence Son, you don’t know if you’re going
to get Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde until the gate has rolled.
The
George Reider trainee has rattled off two solid wins at the Open II level this
month, including a lifetime best 1:55 tour on April 4, but surrounding those
scores are a pair of efforts where he failed to be on stride at the start and
lost his chance.
Williams
Hernandez was guiding Silence Son for the first time in last week’s outing and
no doubt Reider and the trotter’s backers were holding their breath when
starter Kenny Fowler gave the marching orders. The trotter shot right to the
top, carved out all the fractions and held safe by a neck while rewarding the
faithful with an $11.80 payoff.
“I’ve
been very impressed with his last two wins,” Reider related. “Williams did a
great job last week. I told him how temperamental the horse was, we did discuss
some strategies and he figured him out.”
As
one might guess, conditioning a trotter like Silence Son can test one’s
patience, but performances like last week make it all worth the effort. “He’s
not that easy to train by any means, but when he minds his manners he is a fun
horse to watch. That said, it’s always week to week. I can say that David and
Rob Haness and their father Robert really enjoy watching him race.”
Reider
gives plenty of credit to assistant trainer Kimberly Hines, and the three of
them will soon be headed to Minnesota and Running Aces, which is where George
claimed Silence Son for $7,500 last year. “Our expectations are high, because
we know he likes that oval,” his trainer added.
In
the meantime, Silence Son has one more local assignment on tap here Saturday
night, and it will be interesting to see if he’s on his best behavior when the
car hits top speed.
Open Trot, Distaff Pace atop the
marquee
Silence
Son and Winsom Kelly, fresh from a one-two finish last week, head the cast for
the Open I Handicap Trot, while Rag Doll will attempt to overcome the demanding
No. 10 slot in the co-featured Open II Filly-Mare Pace at Cal Expo Saturday
evening.
This
is the next-to-last night of the Watch and Wager LLC winter/spring session,
with a 10-race card on tap and a first post of 6:55 p.m. The curtain will fall
on Sunday with first post for that nine-race card set for 5 p.m.
Silence
Son is a 6-year-old Ohio-bred son of Majestic Son who is owned and trained by
George Reider and will have Williams Hernandez doing the honors. He comes into
this assignment having captured two of his last four outings.
Silence
Son established a new lifetime standard when he tour the oval in 1:55 flat on
April 4, then lost his chance with an early miscue in his next trip to the
post. He was all business in his most recent try with Hernandez at the helm for
the first time, as he made every pole a winning one and held safe by a neck
over Winsom Kelly.
The
latter is a 9-year-old by Eccentric who carries the banner of Nikki Hudson and
Kc C Carvalho with Luke Plano reining and training. He recorded his most recent
victory on March 21 under these conditions and closed with a rush to just miss
to Silence Son in last week’s clash.
Rounding out the field are the always-dangerous Franky
Provolone for Steve Wiseman; the classy Franks Best with Mooney Svendsen; and
Sharpshootennorris, who has the benefit of the cozy rail slot.
**********
A
reminder that with Sunday being closing night of the winter/spring meet, there
will be mandatory payouts in all wagers on that program.
