Silverbulletday Takes the Oaks With Ease

Trainer Bob Baffert said he had no regrets about not running Silverbulletday in the Kentucky Derby, but speculation won’t go away after Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, which turned into a cakewalk for the brilliant 3-year-old filly.

Under a hand ride by Gary Stevens, Silverbulletday won the $551,000 Oaks by two lengths. In sunny, 70-degree weather, a crowd of 101,834 showed up at Churchill Downs, accounting for the largest non-Derby attendance at any track in North America.

Silverbulletday, winning for the 10th time in 11 starts, dropped out of consideration for the Derby last week and Baffert has entered his other filly, Excellent Meeting, along with his two males, General Challenge and Prime Timber. Mike Pegram, winner of last year’s Derby with Real Quiet and owner of Silverbulletday, endorsed Baffert’s decision.

“[Silverbulletday] was awesome,” Baffert said. “But if Excellent Meeting had run in the Oaks, she would have been right there with this filly.”

Stevens will ride General Challenge in the Derby and said, “Talking about what Silverbulletday might have done in the Derby would only be speculation. But if I have anything close to the feeling [today] that I had [Friday] at the quarter-pole, we’re going to be going for an Oaks-Derby double.”

The last trainer to win the Oaks and the Derby in the same year was Ben Jones for Calumet Farm, when he saddled Real Delight for the Oaks and Hill Gail for the Derby in 1952. Eddie Arcaro rode both horses. The last jockey to double in the races was Jerry Bailey, with Dispute and Sea Hero in 1993.

Silverbulletday earned $341,620, sending her purse total past the $2-million mark, after running 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 4/5. She paid $2.20, $2.20 and $2.10 across the board. Dreams Gallore finished second, 4 3/4 lengths ahead of Sweeping Story. The rest of the order of finish was The Happy Hopper, Marley Vale, Positive Gal and Gold From The West.

Silverbulletday was sixth after half a mile, but never far back and always out of trouble on the outside. She cruised to the front on the far turn.

“She’s probably as good a filly as I’ve ever ridden,” Stevens said. “She trains us, we don’t train her. This is the most pressure I’ve ever had with a ride in 20 years, because I knew the only way she could get beat would have been through my error. She would have made a good showing in the Derby, but I think they still made the right decision by running her against the fillies.”

Horse Racing Notes

With Aljabr scratched from the Derby, General Challenge moves from the 15th stall to the 14th, the last spot in the main starting gate, today. Prime Timber moves from the 14th to the 13th stall. At the post-position draw Wednesday, Bob Baffert liked the idea of the two horses getting extra room because of the space between the two gates. . . . With about $300,000 in the on-track win pool, Stephen Got Even is 4-1 in the Derby’s early betting, followed by Vicar and Menifee, both 5-1; the entry of Excellent Meeting and General Challenge, 6-1; Cat Thief and the five-horse mutuel field at 7-1; and Prime Timber, 12-1.