Starting a 50/1 outsider, she belied her odds, as she tracked the leaders before taking the lead inside the final furlong and winning by one and a quarter lengths from Hilaala.
[6] The full-time professional Ray Cochrane took the ride when the filly was stepped up in class for the Listed Radley Stakes at Newbury Racecourse eighteen days later but she was given little chance and started at odds of 25/1 against eight opponents.
[7] On her first run of 1996 Sil Sila contested the Listed Masaka Stakes over one mile at Kempton Park Racecourse on 6 April and sustained her first defeat as she came home seventh of the thirteen runners behind Sea Spray.
Two weeks later, in the Fred Darling Stakes (a major trial race for the 1000 Guineas) at Newbury she proved nomatch for Bosra Sham and was beaten eight lengths into third place.
[8] On 9 June Sil Sila was sent to France for the Prix de Diane over 2100 metres at Chantilly Racecourse in which she was ridden by the American jockey Cash Asmussen and started a 30/1 outsider in a twelve-runner field.
After racing towards the rear of the field, Sil Sila was hampered when she attempted to make a forward move in the straight and was switched left to deliver her challenge on the outside.
Post-race tests revealed an abnormal white blood cell count: Smart commented "Sil Sila has a mild infection and things have probably been worsened by the journey up to York and all the hurly burly".