Hot trainer spotlight: Carlos H. Silva

Since Jan. 24, Carlos H. Silva has won 5-of-11 starts (45% strike rate). He’s 6-for-17 (35%) in 2020, winning three straight races at Tampa Bay Downs in late January, and the public has been slow to note the barn’s recent success.

Trainer Stats over the last 60 days from Brisnet

On Feb. 13, Silva shipped Lena Horne from his Tampa base to capture the 9^TH race at Gulfstream at 15-1 odds. Two days later at Tampa, where Silva had won with three of his last five starters, punters allowed Honest to Goodness slip by with a 10-1 upset in the 11^TH race.

A native of Chile, Silva was a leading apprentice jockey in his native country before eventually shifting his tack to the United States in the late 1970s. He became a top journeyman on the Chicago circuit, serving as a regular rider for legendary horseman Richard Hazelton, retired with 3,515 wins in the saddle.

Silva captured his first race as a trainer in 2011. After winning only 10% of his 2019 starts (15-for-148), he has turned things around nicely in 2020, and Silva will look to stay hot during the current Tampa Bay meet.