Silver Swallow

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Silver Swallow


caption = Silver Swallow at Santa Anita
sire = Alphabet Soup
grandsire = Cozzene
dam = Topsom
damsire = Red Ransom
sex = Filly
foaled = 2004
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Grey/Roan
breeder = Robert L. Dodd
owner = Bruce Headley and Irwin Molasky
trainer = Bruce Headley
record = 13:2-5-5 (to date)
earnings = $265,038
race = 2nd Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks
2nd Santa Anita Oaks
2nd Railbird Stakes
updated = August 21, 2007

Silver Swallow is a Grey/Roan filly thoroughbred race horse by Alphabet Soup (Cozzene) out of Topsom (Red Ransom) who is known for her beautiful coat coloration, a nearly white dappled grey, as well as her repeated second place finishes in several prominent stakes races in the Southern California racing circuit. Bred by Robert L Dodd and foaled in Florida on April 14th, 2004, Silver Swallow was purchased at the Keeneland September 2005 Auction for $55,000. She is currently co-owned by Irwin Molasky and trainer Bruce Headley.

Silver Swallow made her debut in a Maiden Special Weight race as a 2 year old on opening day, Dec 26th, for Santa Anita’s 2006-2007 meet with Alex Solis aboard. The grey filly placed third, already displaying the late closing style that would become typical of many of her subsequent runs under the direction of Solis. She went on to win a Maiden Special Weight as the favorite on Jan 14th, 2007, but the now 3 year old filly was disqualified for interference on the stretch and relegated to third place. A little more than a month later, on Feb 18th, Silver Swallow trailed the pack and then speed away to the wire to take a solid first by two lengths in another Maiden Special Weight.

The filly was rather ambitiously entered in the March 11th, 2007, 1 1/16 mile Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, and with odds of 8.00 she managed to pull off a surprising second place behind future Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. The striking grey was then tested on turf and proved a disappointment in the April 7th, 2007, 1 mile Grade 3 Providencia Stakes, with jockey R.A. Dominguez aboard instead of Solis, placing seventh.

Silver Swallow returned to the main track, with Solis, as the favorite for the May 13th, 2007, 7f Grade 3 Railbird Stakes on Hollywood Park’s all weather track and came flying up to the wire, missing first by a nose to Ashley’s Kitty, for another second place. The 3 year old was the favorite for the 1 1/16 miles Grade 2 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks run on June 10th, 2007, but failed to catch Tough Tiz’s Sis and landed a second place finish on the all weather track.

Silver Swallow was run on Del Mar’s new Polytrack on July 26th, 2007, in an Allowance Optional Claming as the Morning Line favorite and was again unable to tackle the leader after a late dash, taking home yet another second place. On Sept. 2nd, 2007, Silver Swallow missed second place by a head in the Torrey Pines Stakes on Del Mar’s Polytrack. She was the favorite for the race, and displayed a switch in tactics, running mid-pack for most of the 1 mile distance.

The grey filly ran as the odds on favorite in a 1 1/16 mile Allowance race at Oak Tree's Santa Anita meet on Oct. 4th, 2007. Her new strategy of staying more mid pack early on landed her yet another 2nd place finish. Silver Swallow took off the rest of the 2007 season following this defeat and resumed training in January 2008.

Silver Swallow made her 2008 season debut in an Allowance Optional Claiming race at Santa Anita Park on April 18th. The filly was forced wide through much of the early portions of the race and then moved inwards to find the rail, placing third. On friday May 23rd, Silver Swallow tasted victory once again when she won an Allowance Optional Claiming by over 2 lengths at Hollywood Park.

On July 5th, 2008, Silver Swallow, with odds of 23-1, managed an impressive third place stretch run in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Del Mar, finishing 3/4 of a length behind Tough Tiz’s Sis and 1 1/4 lengths from the winner Zenyatta. Silver Swallow is scheduled to face up against Tough Tiz’s Sister and the still unbeaten Zenyatta once again for the Grade 2 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 2nd, 2008. Despite her inability to secure a stakes win, this filly continues to attract considerable attention because of her dramatic closing style and easy to spot coat coloration and matching white jockeys silks.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/silver+swallow2 Silver Swallow’s Pedigree]