Silent Eagle gets class relief

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A significant drop in weight and substantial drop in class add up to Silent Eagle being the one to beat in the final leg of the Marathon Series at Hastings on Saturday.

The 1 1/2-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew five horses and goes as race 8 on the final Saturday of the 2018 meet, which wraps up Sunday. Post time for the first of nine races is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Trained by Andrew Collins, Silent Eagle carried 124 pounds when he almost took them all the way going 1 3/8 miles in the Grade 3, $100,000 Premier’s on Sunday. He finished third, beaten a halflength. He looks formidable with the drop into a starter race with a $6,250 claiming option while shedding 11 pounds.

The 4-year-old British Columbia-bred has improved since he finished fourth going 1 1/8 miles in the first leg of the Marathon Series on Aug. 24. After finishing fifth in the $50,000 S. W. Randall Plate on Sept. 8, he thrived over a sloppy track when he scored a frontrunning victory in a $25,000 claiming race Sept. 22. With apprentice Lenny Seecharan in the saddle for the Premier’s, Silent Eagle set a wicked early pace before giving way grudgingly to Calgary Caper and Brave Nation, both of whom rallied from well back. He finished a neck behind Brave Nation, who was a neck behind Calgary Caper.

Silent Eagle will break from post 5 with Seecharan, who has made great strides as a rider in the past month, retaining the mount.

There is a mandatory payout of the pick five, which begins on race 2 with $3,585 in seed money. The money comes from overages in the mutuel handle at Hastings this year.

KEY CONTENDERS

Silent Eagle, by Silent Name Last 3 Beyers: 77-78-72

◗ That was a huge effort in the Premier’s and if it didn’t knock him out he will be tough to run down. Citron Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid Last 3 Beyers: 71-71-71

◗ The consistent 8-year-old won this race last year, so we know he can go this far, and he is coming off back-to-back narrow losses to Shooting Jacket in the first two legs of the Marathon Series.

◗ He is trained by Phil Hall, who has wrapped up his second straight training title at Hastings, and his jockey, Amadeo Perez, is home and cooled out as the leading rider.

Shooting Jacket, by Hard Spun Last 3 Beyers: 71-71-64

◗ Trained by Keith Pedersen, he is on a roll right now and should be heard from late. After finishing second to Citron Kid in back-to-back races he got the best of Citron Kid in his last two starts.