Walking the chalk in SILENT STEER Challenge

There were no surprises in the SILENT STEER Challenge on Saturday, with things going exactly as expected over the seven furlongs of firm turf.

The 6/5 favorite Oriental Express, ridden by L Buchholtz, ran just as she wanted, stalking the leader You Go Girl before striking around the final turn and bringing home her first stakes victory.

“The race set up perfectly for her,” Buchholtz said. “She was right where she wanted to be and settled into her pace and when I asked her to go, she went.”

As predicted, You Go Girl set the early pace in a field with little speed to go on. Oriental Express ran a ½-length back, while Lady Tristram sat a couple of lengths in back of the front two. The Demon slid right to the back, saving her energy for her preferred stretch burst. Lady Tristram seemed to reach her peak at three furlongs and promptly dropped back, her tank empty. At the same time Oriental Express turned her jets on, gliding by You Go Girl for the lead and holding on as the finish line approached. The Demon had a slight surge down the stretch, which combined with a dying effort by Lady Tristram, and The Demon moved into third but never threatened the top two. You Go Girl proved game, but could not regain the lead as Oriental Express seemed to get stronger with each stride as she pounded down the stretch for the win.

Oriental Express took the lion’s share of the $50K purse and paid out $4.60 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.10 to show. You Go Girl, with M Arnold aboard, hit the board at $3.40 for place and $2.10 to show. The Demon strode home with B Coates aboard and paid show bettors $2.10. Without a long-shot coming in for bettors, the exacta paid out $12.20 while $22.60 went to trifecta winners.

The race was run in 1:25 2/5 and the winner ran a speed figure of 71.