A field of eight newly minted sophomore fillies takes aim at the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Saturday at the Fair Grounds when they go postward for the $150,000 Silverbulletday, a 1-mile, 70-yard race around two turns that carries with it qualifying points for the top five finishers.
Fair Grounds Race Course – Photo Courtesy of www.fairgroundsracecourse.com
Three trainers send out seven of eight runners in the Silverbulletday
More than half the field comes from the barns of two well-known trainers: two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, who won the Oaks in 2018 with Monomoy Girl and again in 2020 with Shedaresthedevil, and Kenny McPeek, who had a career-best year in 2024 including the rare Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double with Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna.
Brad Cox saddles two
Cox will saddle Juddmonte homebred Chasten (4-1), a daughter of Into Mischief who scored a come-from-behind victory in her lone start on November 30 at Churchill Downs, as well as Gary and Mary West’s California Sunset (5-1), who is 1-0-1 from three starts and who most recently finished third in the Untapable on Dec. 21 at the Fair Grounds.
McPeek saddles three
McPeek will counter with a trio of well-bred 3-year-olds headed by Golden Gamble (7-2), who broke her maiden by nine lengths on Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs and returned to finish second as the favorite in the Untapable. By the Uncle Mo sire Laoban, she fetched $200,000 at the Keeneland September sale in 2023.
The trainer also will send out the Practical Joke filly Gowell’s Delight (8-1), who pulled clear to break her maiden at first asking by 5 ½ lengths on Dec. 26 at the Fair Grounds, and She’s a Swede (8-1), beaten 16 ¼ lengths in a pair of races over the summer at Churchill Downs and Saratoga. Given a nearly five-month break, she was a game winner of an off-the-turn maiden on Dec. 29 at the Fair Grounds.
Beckman has a pair, too
Whit Beckman is expected to attract considerable support with his good-looking maiden winner Simply Joking (3-1 morning-line favorite), stretching out after scoring a game neck win in the 6-furlong Letellier Memorial on Dec. 21, also at the Fair Grounds. The trainer also will be represented by Drexel Hill (8-1), who made her first four starts in Canada before being sent to Louisiana, where she finished fifth in the Untapable in her first start for Beckman.
She will be outfitted with blinkers for the Silverbulletday.
Entered as well is Bless the Broken, seventh in the Demoiselle (G2) at Aqueduct last time out. The Will Walden-trained filly was cross-entered in the Busanda at the Big A.
As part of the road to the Kentucky Oaks, the Silverbulletday will award 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points on a sliding scale. Post time is 5 p.m. ET.
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Golden Gamble 2 California Sunset 3 Simply Joking
The field for the $150,000 Silverbulletday, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Chasten (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox), 4-1
2 Golden Gamble (Brian Hernandez, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 7-2
3 Simply Joking (Jamie Torres, Whit Beckman), 3-1
4 Drexel Hill (Ben Curtis, Whit Beckman), 8-1
5 California Sunset (Joel Rosario, Brad Cox), 5-1
6 Gowells Delight (C J Hernandez, Kenny McPeek), 8-1
7 She’s a Swede (Luis Saez, Kenny McPeek), 8-1
8 Bless the Broken (Axel Concepcion, Will Walden), 10-1