Silver Swallow

Silver Swallow is a thoroughbred race horse by Alphabet Soup (Cozzene) out of Topsom (Red Ransom) who is known for her 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 14, 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, December 26, for Santa Anita’s 2006–2007 meet with Alex Solis aboard. She placed third, already displaying the late-closing style that would become typical of many of her subsequent runs. She won a Maiden Special Weight as the favorite on January 14, 2007, but the then 3-year-old filly was disqualified for interference on the stretch and relegated to third place. A little more than a month later, on February 18, Silver Swallow trailed the pack and then rallied to win by two lengths in another Maiden Special Weight.

She was entered in the March 11, 2007, 1 ¹⁄₁₆-mile Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, and with odds of 8.00 finished second behind future Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. She was then tested on turf in the April 7, 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 13, 2007, 7f Grade 3 Railbird Stakes on Hollywood Park’s all-weather track and missed first by a nose to Ashley’s Kitty. The 3-year-old was the favorite for the 1 ¹⁄₁₆ miles Grade 2 Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks run on June 10, 2007, but failed to catch Tough Tiz’s Sis and finished second on the all-weather track.

Silver Swallow (with jockey Alex Solis) after making a furious dash to place second in an Allowance race on 7/26/07 at the Del Mar Racetrack.

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

She ran as the odds-on favorite in a 1 ¹⁄₁₆-mile allowance race at Oak Tree's Santa Anita meet on October 4, 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 18. She 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 23, Silver Swallow won an Allowance Optional Claiming by over 2 lengths at Hollywood Park.

On July 5, 2008, Silver Swallow, with odds of 23–1, finished third 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 August 2, 2008.

Despite her inability to secure a stakes win, she continues to attract considerable attention because of her dramatic closing style and easy to spot coat coloration and matching white jockeys silks.

References

• Silver Swallow’s Pedigree