Silky Serena bests elders in Fancy Buckles * The Racing Biz

Silky Serena bests elders in Fancy Buckles

The Biz
June 19, 2022

While trainer Tim Grams had a trio of runners for Saturday’s Fancy Buckles Stakes at Charles Town Races, John McKee saddled only one. That turned out to be plenty for McKee, however, as Silky Serena posted a hard-fought victory in the $75,000 dash for state-bred fillies and mares.

The three-year-old Silky Serena, beating her elders in the Fancy Buckles, now has three wins, two in stakes company, from five starts with earnings of $119,418. A filly by Fiber Sonde, she was bred and is owned by McKee’s wife Cyndy McKee and last month had earned her first stakes score in the It’s Binn Too Long.

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Under jockey Reshawn Latchman, Silky Serena was away alertly from the outside stall to press the pace of the Grams-trained Good Karma. Those two ripped through an opening quarter-mile in 21.87 seconds with just a half-length separating them.

Passing the three-sixteenths pole, Silky Serena poked her head in front as Good Karma threw in the towel, ultimately finishing sixth. Silky Serena kicked two lengths clear in mid-stretch before post time favorite Alpine Moon found a seam and shaved the gap to three parts of a length at the wire.

Running time for the 4 ½ furlongs on a fast main track was 52.45 seconds. After the top pair, Lady Storm rallied into third in a race in which the top seven all were within three lengths at the end.

Silky Serena paid $10.20 on a two-dollar win wager. The exacta returned $27.80 for a buck.

Defending champ Our Diamond Girl finished fifth, the best of the Grams triumvirate. She was followed by Good Karma in sixth Talent Expected, who faded to last.