Silent Name Could Make Some Noise in Shoemaker

Things turned out well the last time a Japanese-bred offspring of Sunday Silence competed in a Grade I stakes race at Hollywood Park.

Cesario dominated a full field of 3-year-old fillies in the $750,000 American Oaks last July 3, winning by four lengths to the delight of a large contingent from her homeland.

This afternoon, Silent Name, a 4-year-old son of now-deceased Sunday Silence -- who won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic en route to horse-of-the-year honors in 1989 -- will try for a Grade I win of his own in the $300,000 Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Owned and bred by Gerard and Alain Wertheimer, who recently sold a percentage of the colt to Frank Stronach, and trained by Gary Mandella, Silent Name is two for two since arriving in the United States. He is the 3-1 favorite on Russ Hudak’s morning line for the Shoemaker.

Silent Name, a winner of three of 10 in France, won an allowance by three-quarters of a length on March 12, then won the Arcadia Handicap, a Grade II, by 1 1/4 lengths nearly a month later. Both wins were on the Santa Anita turf course.

Fourth by a length in his last appearance in a Group 1 in Europe, Silent Name is at his best at the Shoemaker distance, winning four of six at one mile.

“He’s responded so well to freshening that I’m not going to try to over-race him,” said Mandella, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

The younger Mandella indicated that he plans to run Silent Name only three more times in 2006 after today.

The main objective is the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs.

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The other Grade I today on the Hollywood Park card is the $300,000 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Stakes. It has attracted eight fillies and mares who will run 1 1/8 miles on turf.

The 120-pound highweight is Sharp Lisa, who had a wire-to-wire win by a nose in the Santa Barbara Handicap on April 22.

The Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely are part of a pick six with a guaranteed $1-million pool.

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My Miss Storm Cat toyed with her five opponents in the $68,690 Desert Stormer Handicap on Sunday at Hollywood Park, winning by 1 1/4 lengths without having to be asked for her best by jockey Victor Espinoza.

The 4-year-old Sea Of Secrets filly, a 7-10 favorite for owner Ed Friendly and trainer Bob Baffert, won for the fourth time in six starts. Now two for three on the Hollywood Park main track, she ran the six furlongs in 1:09.44. Maryfield, the pacesetter and 2-1 second choice, finished second and Allswellthatnswell was third.