Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Orrs take aim at Southwest
Ed Orr and his wife, Susie, decided to step up their investment in racing when he retired from a professional rodeo career, and the commitment has yielded a serious Kentucky Derby hopeful in Silver Prospector. The horse won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs and on Monday will be looking to add another Kentucky Derby points race to his résumé in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
The Orrs, who reside in Colorado, have about 12 to 15 horses in training and a few broodmares in Kentucky. They are not new to racing, but changed their approach after Ed Orr took his final bows from the rodeo arena.
“We’ve been in it to this degree for probably 10 or 15 years, striving to compete at the upper level,” Orr said. “I used to rodeo. This racing deal replaces my rodeo competitiveness, because I got too old to compete.”
Ed Orr, 62, was involved in steer wrestling, team roping, and other events on a circuit in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. He mostly stayed in his region because as a fourth generation rancher from Colorado he was responsible for a cattle operation. He continues in that role – running cattle at two ranches in the state – and also has an agricultural real estate company that primarily sells farms and ranches. The Orrs also are invested in real estate development and the biomedical industry.
And then there’s the horses. The Steve Asmussen-trained Silver Prospector was a $190,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training in April 2019. He is a son of Declaration of War and out of the Tapit mare Tap Softly.
The horse’s composure was one of his selling points, said Ed Orr.
“We just thought he was put together and looked like he could be a two-turn horse,” Orr said. “And actually, his mentality really grew on us. By the time he hit the sales ring, I was liking the way he was handling things better and better, through the stress of the back ring and the sales ring. Since then, he’s always shown that mentality. When he goes to the paddock, he’s never too worried about what’s going on around him. He’s continued to stay confident in stressful situations, so we like that about him.”
Silver Prospector won his maiden over 6 1/2 furlongs last October at Keeneland, with a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. He proceeded to run third in the $123,000 Street Sense at Churchill Downs before capturing the Kentucky Jockey Club over 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 30. Silver Prospector defeated a field that included Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, who is Daily Racing Form’s early favorite for the Kentucky Derby on the first Derby Watch line of the year set by Marty McGee.
Silver Prospector on Monday will be moving back to 1 1/16 miles for the Southwest, which awards its first four finishers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a scale of 10-42-1. He shortened up to a mile last out for the $150,000 Smarty
Jones at Oaklawn and finished fourth, closing from next to last in the Jan. 24 race, which ended at the sixteenth pole. Since the Smarty Jones, Silver Prospector has worked a strong fiveeighths in 1:00.60.
“We’ll just hope we get a good trip and he’s on his game,” Orr said. “I think we’re competing at a level where you got to have a good trip no matter what.”
The Orrs recently started teaming with Asmussen. They also have horses with trainer Rey Hernandez.
“I bought a horse a couple years ago that Steve was the underbidder on,” Ed Orr said. “I went over and introduced myself to him, gave him the sales slip on the horse, and turned the horse over to him. After that, we put more and more horses with Steve. We just really enjoy working with him and enjoy the talent that he helps our horses find and show.”
The Kentucky Jockey Club win was the most prestigious victory to date for the Orrs.
“We really enjoyed that,” Ed Orr said. “It turned out to be a special win for us.”
Silver Prospector and regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. will start from post 2 in a field of nine for the Southwest. The complete field from the rail with riders is Wells Bayou, Florent Geroux; Silver Prospector;
Shoplifted, Brian Hernandez Jr.; Gold Street, Martin Garcia; American Butterfly, Declan Cannon; Chase Tracker, John Velazquez; Villainous, David Cohen; Taishan, Mario Gutierrez; and Answer In, Javier Castellano.
The race shares a card with the Grade 3, $500,000 Razorback Handicap, which drew 11 led by Math Wizard; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Bayakoa, which drew six led by Whoa Nellie.
Two Stepper stretches out
Two Stepper brings some interesting family history into the $100,000 Enchantress for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday at Sunland Park.
The one-mile race, which is restricted to New Mexicobreds, drew a field of 10. There is one also-eligible, Connie’s Linda, the only entrant who has won at the two-turn trip of the Enchantress.
Two Stepper will be making her two-turn debut off a win in the $100,000 La Senora at six furlongs at Sunland. It’s the same pattern followed by her older half-sister Sippin, who won the La Senora in 2017 before winning her first try at two turns in the Enchantress.
Todd Fincher trained sixtime stakes winner Sippin for her breeder, R.D. Hubbard, and the same team is behind Two Stepper.
The horses are both out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Samba Queen.
Two Stepper, who also races for Paul Blanchard, has won three of her seven career starts. Her first win came in her debut, a maiden special weight sprint over five furlongs last July at the Downs at Albuquerque. One start later she won a trial race at Ruidoso Downs before finishing third in that track’s Rio Grande Senora Futurity on Sept. 1.
Roimes Chirinos, who has been aboard Two Stepper for all of her starts, has the mount from post 4.