It’s No Preakness, but This Day Belongs to Silverbulletday

When trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens huddled before Friday’s $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico, the instructions were brief.

“Ride her how you want,” Baffert said. “She’s ready to win the Preakness.”

They were talking about Silverbulletday, the brilliant filly who had been training for the Preakness, but was withdrawn from today’s race when she drew the No. 14 post position Wednesday.

From the No. 1 post position in the Black-Eyed Susan, Silverbulletday was definitely ready to win Friday’s race. She disposed of The Happy Hopper, an early challenger, down the backstretch and was two lengths better than Dreams Gallore at the finish, running 1 1/8 miles in a stakes-record time of 1:47 4/5. The old record, 1:48 1/5, was set by Imaginary Lady, with Stevens riding, in 1989. That was the first year the race was run at its current distance.

Baffert, Stevens and Mike Pegram, who owns Silverbulletday, will never know what she would have done in the Preakness. Silverbulletday was 7-2, the second choice behind Menifee, in the Preakness morning line that was issued at entry time.

Silverbulletday won for the 11th time in 12 starts, earning $120,000 and pushing her purses to $2.2 million. Her across-the-board mutuels were $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10, with the track absorbing losses because of minus place and show pools. Pimlico had to put up $4,415 in the place pool and $143,875 in the show to guarantee minimum payoffs for bettors.

Dreams Gallore finished 16 1/2 lengths ahead of Vee Vee Star, the third-place horse in a seven-horse field.

Baffert has no plans for Silverbulletday, who has never run against males.

“If she hooks the boys, it’ll have to be for a lot of money,” Baffert said.

A race that has crossed his mind is the $1-million Haskell at Monmouth Park on Aug. 8.

“Since Wednesday,” Stevens said, “I’ve felt like somebody kicked me in the stomach. I so much wanted to run this filly in the Preakness. I felt sad in the paddock [Friday]. It was quiet, and I was still thinking about her missing the Preakness.

“In the stretch, I had the same feeling I do every time I ride her. It makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. When her career is over, she’s going to be rated right up there with the great ones--horses like Ruffian and Personal Ensign.”

Baffert said that he has no regrets about skipping the Preakness with Silverbulletday. Two weeks ago, she missed the Kentucky Derby and won the Kentucky Oaks for fillies at Churchill Downs the day before.

“This was like a consolation prize,” Baffert said. “But I’ve always put the horse before me. When we drew [the outside post] for the Preakness, I knew we were done. We still did what I think was right. I’m lucky that [Pegram] is like my other owners. They understand about these decisions.”