Game of Silks players are experiencing their first major Thoroughbred event this weekend when the Breeders Cup World Championships are held Nov. 3.
The fantasy style horse racing game is in its first year with horses on the track. With five stakes for 2-year-olds races on Future Stars Friday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and more than $7 million in real life dollars at stake. Players in the Silks community stand to earn a cash equivalent of more than $70,000 by owning the metaverse version of each horse from series one of Game of Silks.
The afternoon kicks off at 2 pm local time with the $1,000,000 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) going 5 furlongs on the Santa Anita grass. Quite a few ‘non-silks’ European runners have come over to raid the North American purses this season but there are a lot of Silks owners with big chances to win a nice share of the $10,000 up for grabs in the opening Breeders Cup race. Trainer George Weaver has three entered and all have a big chance to win with Crimson Advocate (Silks owner Snake Eyes Stable), No Nay Mets (Charbo) and Amidst Waves (not yet minted). Valiant Force (Charbo), Shards (V Shaker Farms), Slider (Ocala Racing) and Committee of One (First in Second Out Racing) are the others that will be trying to be in the first four and earn that money. Hedwig (Alpha Racing) and April Vintage (Three Wide No Cover) both need some help via a scratch to get to participate.
In the $2 million Juvenile Fillies (G1T), there are 13 fillies entered in this championship event and 11 Game of Silks avatar holders battling it out for $20,000. The prohibitive 4-5 morning-line favorite is the dynamic Tamara who is a West Coast-based filly owned in Silks by First In Second Out Racing. The second tier of favorites is based around stakes winners Candied (German Drunk Stables), Brightwork (Gibbs Racing), Just FYI (JeffSP1965 Stables), and Chatalas (Alpha Racing). Others in with a chance to get in that illustrious top four positions are Where’s My Ring (Latto Farms), Esprit Enchante (Sunkosi Stables), Accommodate Eva (Alpha Dragon Lair), Life Talk (Cowboy Stable) and Alys Beach (Charbo).
In the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) there are several ‘non-Silks’ runners with five foreign entries as well as six fillies that have yet to be minted. There are however five Silks owned runners led by Gala Brand (Charbo), Austere (First in Second Out Racing) and Hard to Justify (Ryanblalsosmith Stables) with Go With Gusto (VShaker Farms) and Mo Fox Girvin (Vin Stables Stable) hoping to get a chance to run if there is a late scratch.
The $2 million Juvenile (G1) has 10 Silks horses competing for $20,000. The undefeated Prince of Monaco (5% – 10% Charity Farm) headlines the field which will likely not only crown the 2-year-old champion but provide us with the early favorite for next year’s Kentucky Derby (G1). The Wine Steward (WMougayar Stables), General Partner (Spiced Turtle), Muth (Alpha Racing) and Noted (Whirlaway Farm) are all owned in Silks, trying to get a piece of the big purse.
The finale on Future Stars Friday is the $1 million Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). There are only three European shippers out of the 14 entered in the race and those three all come from Aiden O’Brien’s massive stable. There are eight Silks-owned horses competing for the $10,000 in possibly the most wide open race of the day. Carson’s Run (King Kong Stable) drew wide but looks like one of the more talented 2-year-olds that we have seen this year. Can Group (Natureboy Skip Stable) put in a wild rally in his last to win a stakes at Keeneland, Air Recruit (Internathobo), Stay Hot (V Shaker Farms), Endlessly (Autonomous Collective), Fulmineo (Final Stretch Farms), and Grand Mo The First (101 Championship Stables) all have a chance if they can get a fortunate trip.
