Baffert Will Run Filly Silverbulletday in Belmont Stakes

Ending more than a week of speculation, trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday that his filly Silverbulletday will run in the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Mike Pegram, who owns Silverbulletday, had left the decision up to Baffert, after the decisions not to run Silverbulletday in either the Kentucky Derby or Preakness. Charismatic, owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis, won those races and is going for the Triple Crown sweep.

Baffert, who also trains many horses for the Lewises, called Bob Lewis in Newport Beach to tell him that the filly would be running.

“I think it’s just great that she’s in there,” Lewis said. “I wished Bob the utmost success. Bob and Mike Pegram are good friends.”

Asked about a $100,000 side bet that Lewis had proposed to Baffert several days ago should Silverbulletday run against Charismatic in the Belmont, Lewis said: “There was no mention of it in our conversation, and I think it’s one of those things that didn’t come to pass. As far as I’m concerned, the side bet is history.”

Baffert confirmed that the side bet had been called off.

“The filly is doing great, and she should give us a good chance to win the Belmont,” he said. “This has got nothing to do with being a spoiler; it’s just that this is one race that’s eluded me, and I think Silverbulletday will give me a good chance.”

Pegram thought his filly might have been favored had she run in the middle leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness at Pimlico on May 15. Instead, Silverbulletday was scratched from the Preakness after drawing the outside post in a 14-horse field. She ran the day before against fillies, winning the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Two weeks before that, instead of running in the Kentucky Derby, Silverbulletday won the Kentucky Oaks, a filly race, the day before the Derby at Churchill Downs.

Silverbulletday, who has run only against fillies while winning 11 of 12 starts and earning $2.2 million, will be ridden by Jerry Bailey in the Belmont. Gary Stevens, who would have had the mount, has signed on to ride in England and will be riding Beat All in the Epsom Derby on June 5.

“This is as good a filly as I’ve ever ridden,” said Stevens, who has won seven races with Silverbulletday. “And that includes Winning Colors and Serena’s Song.”

With Silverbulletday, Baffert is in the same position other trainers took against him in the last two Belmonts. Twice Baffert’s horses have missed a Triple Crown sweep and the $5-million bonus: Silver Charm was beaten by Touch Gold in 1997, and Real Quiet lost to Victory Gallop last year. Charismatic could become the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first in 21 years with a win in the Belmont.

Silverbulletday has trained sharply at Churchill Downs since winning the Black-Eyed Susan. Charismatic is also stabled at Churchill, and he and the filly will share a plane next Wednesday when they’re flown to New York for the Belmont.

“Charismatic still looks great,” Baffert said. “He hasn’t lost any weight since the Preakness. He’s an amazing horse, the way he’s come around. He’s a grinder, he just grinds it out like Silver Charm does, and that kind of a horse is always dangerous.”

The owners of Charismatic and Silverbulletday have both experienced disappointment in the last two Triple Crowns. The Lewises also race Silver Charm. Pegram owns Real Quiet.

“The Belmont should be right down Charismatic’s alley, but he’s no shoo-in,” Bob Lewis said.

Because the Belmont is 1 1/2 miles, the longest of the Triple Crown races, and because it comes on the heels of the grueling Derby and Preakness, fillies seldom run in the New York test. Ruthless beat three opponents to win the first Belmont, in 1867, but the only other filly to win the stake was Tanya, in 1905. Of the 20 fillies that have run in the Belmont, half were in the 19th century and only four have started since 1954, when Riverina finished seventh. Since Riverina, Genuine Risk was second in 1980, Winning Colors ran sixth in 1988 and My Flag finished third in 1996. Genuine Risk and Winning Colors are two of only three fillies to win the Derby.

Baffert started another filly, Excellent Meeting, in the first two Triple Crown races this year. She was fifth in the Derby, beaten by only 2 1/4 lengths, and was pulled up early by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Preakness after having breathing problems. Another filly, Three Ring, ran last in the 19-horse Derby.

Horse Racing Notes

For a record fifth time, and for the second time in three years, Churchill Downs will be hosting a Breeders’ Cup. D.G. Van Clief Jr., president of the Breeders’ Cup, announced Wednesday that the races for 2000 will be run at the Louisville track on Nov. 4. It is likely, Van Clief said, that the 2001 Breeders’ Cup will be run at Belmont Park, with the Oak Tree Racing Assn. at Santa Anita expected to be the host in 2002. This year’s Breeders’ Cup--eight races worth $13 million--will be run at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 6. The races might have gone to Oak Tree in 2000, but the rotation was changed because of extensive ongoing renovations at Santa Anita.