Silverbulletday’s Status in Belmont Still Undecided

Silverbulletday turned in a blistering workout at Churchill Downs Tuesday, but trainer Bob Baffert is still undecided whether he’ll throw her in against colts in the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Silverbulletday had been withheld from the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, where she won the Kentucky Oaks the day before, and scratched from the Preakness because of an outside post position at Pimlico, where she won the Black-Eyed Susan the day before. She had a six-furlong workout in 1:10 4/5. Charismatic, the Derby and Preakness winner, was asked to do much less in his workout and was clocked in 1:16 2/5.

“She’s out of the Belmont until I say she’s in,” Baffert said. “It’s looking better now. She needed that work if she’s going to run. She’s got the right running style to win the Belmont. There’s nothing else to run in for the next couple of months, so we might take a shot. There’s nothing to lose.”

Baffert said he’ll make his Belmont decision after Silverbulletday works again at Churchill early next week. Silverbulletday, running only against fillies, has won 11 of 12 starts. Three fillies have won the Derby and four have won the Preakness, but only two have won the Belmont. Ruthless won the first Belmont, in 1867, and Tanya was the winner in 1905. Only 20 fillies have run in the 1 1/2-mile race, with the best finishes in the last two decades being a second by Genuine Risk, the Derby winner, in 1980 and a third by My Flag in 1996.

Charismatic, trying to win the Belmont and become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978, will face a large field. Others considered probable or possible are Silverbulletday, Menifee, Stephen Got Even, Adonis, Doneraile Court, Patience Game, Pineaff, Vision And Verse, Prime Directive, Best Of Luck, Lemon Drop Kid, Port Bayou, Lead Em Home and Walk That Walk.