Silverbulletday Fires a Blank for Baffert in Distaff

The Bob Baffert whitewash started early at Gulfstream Park Saturday, with Silverbulletday’s ominous sixth-place finish in the $2-million Distaff.

Silverbulletday, the best 3-year-old filly in the country this year, suffered her fourth loss in 18 starts while Beautiful Pleasure clinched year-end older filly and mare honors by winning the power-packed Distaff by three-quarters of a length over Banshee Breeze.

Beautiful Pleasure also beat Silverbulletday three weeks ago in the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park, but at least Silverbulletday finished second that day. Saturday’s finish was the worst for Baffert’s filly in her 16 starts against females.

Baffert said that Silverbulletday, who races with an anti-bleeder medication, still “bled slightly” as the 8-5 favorite.

Baffert ran eight horses in the Breeders’ Cup, on Saturday, with the best finish being a second by Chilukki in the Juvenile Fillies.

Jorge Chavez, who had been winless with 19 previous Breeders’ Cup mounts, rode Beautiful Pleasure to her third win. Three races later, Chavez was in the winner’s circle again, after Artax won the $1-million Sprint.

“Beautiful Pleasure was a pleasure to ride,” Chavez said. “I rode her the same way as last time, because I knew she was the best filly. I know she’s fast, but there’s nothing else you can do, because she’s got natural speed. She just kept going.”

Beautiful Pleasure, who is trained by the husband-wife team of John and Donna Ward, had a 1 1/2-length lead after the opening half-mile, and Banshee Breeze, who was sixth early, couldn’t overhaul her. Heritage Of Gold, at 33-1, finished third, with Keeper Hill fourth. The time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:47 2/5.

Donna Ward said that Beautiful Pleasure has taken to gallops on grass in morning exercises, and that might be an option when owner John Oxley runs her next year as a 5-year-old.

Silverbulletday moved into second place with three furlongs to go, but jockey Jerry Bailey sensed that this wasn’t going to be her day.

“I knew at the half-mile pole that we were in trouble,” Bailey said.

A look at the other Breeders’ Cup races, other than the Classic:

$2-MILLION TURF

The Europeans, who had been blanked in two previous Breeders’ Cups at Gulfstream, broke the ice with Daylami’s 2 1/2-length win over Royal Anthem. Buck’s Boy, who won the race last year when Daylami was scratched because of fever, finished third, beaten by 4 1/2 lengths.

Daylami’s win was a vindication for jockey Frankie Dettori, who was harshly criticized last year for his excessive left-handed whipping of Swain, who drifted to the outside fence and finished third in the Classic. Dettori, a showman who is perennially one of the leading riders in England, returned to the winner’s circle Saturday and shouted Swain’s name to the Gulfstream crowd.

“Revenge is a plate to eat cold,” Dettori said. “It took me six months to get over Swain, but I’m back. Twelve months and one week, and I’m back. . . . You can’t judge one ride against a 10-year career. It made me a stronger person. . . . Daylami came to the rescue. I was hoping it would be the old Daylami today. When I pressed the button, he took off.”

Daylami, who races for Sheik Mohammed’s Godolphin Stable, had finished ninth in the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in his last start, but that race was run in a bog. The Gulfstream turf course, saturated by rain from Hurricane Irene, was drying out by Saturday. The going was listed as good as Daylami covered 1 1/2 miles in 2:24 3/5, paying $5.20 as the favorite. It’s expected to be the last race of the horse’s career.

$1-MILLION JUVENILE

Dixie Union and Forest Camp were expected to settle the 2-year-old male divisional honors, but instead neither colt hit the board and Anees, a 30-1 shot from Southern California, won by 2 1/2 lengths over Chief Seattle. Dixie Union finished fifth and Forest Camp was sixth. Those horses had beaten each other in their last two races.

Alex Hassinger Jr., who trains Anees for Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp., is the nephew of Kentucky breeder John Gaines, who is credited with organizing the first Breeders’ Cup. Hassinger’s first Breeders’ Cup win came in 1992 at Gulfstream when he saddled Eliza in the Juvenile Fillies for Allen Paulson. Upon moving from California to Kentucky to become a public trainer, Hassinger struggled. This year, his stable down to a few horses, he was ready to quit training when Salman signed him on.

“I knew about the Breeders’ Cup idea before almost anyone else did,” Hassinger said. “I used to sit with my uncle and talk about the possibilities around the kitchen table.”

Anees, ridden by Gary Stevens, Salman’s contract jockey, had finished third behind Dixie Union and Forest Camp in the Norfolk at Santa Anita on Oct. 10. Saturday’s race was only the fourth start--and first stakes win--for the well-bred son of Unbridled and the grandson of Alydar. Anees ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 1/5.

Anees now must overcome a Breeders’ Cup hex: a Juvenile winner has never won the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s got a great kick, and he’s getting better every race,” Stevens said. “I can’t wait until next year.”

$1-MILLION MILE

Ken Poslosky, who owns part of the French-bred colt Silic, called one of his partners, Bernard Schiappa, on Friday night.

“I was sound asleep,” Schiappa said. “But it was good news. He told me Bouccaneer had won Friday at Gulfstream.”

That boded well for Silic, because he had beaten Bouccaneer in the Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 16, and on Saturday Silic ran another strong race for trainer Julio Canani and jockey Corey Nakatani. Tuzla, the horse Silic beat by a neck, had also been running for Canani before her owner, David Milch, sold the mare for $1.3 million this summer.

“Julio’s a trainer with a tremendous work ethic,” Schiappa said. “He likes horses better than people.”

Silic paid $16.40, running the mile on turf in 1:34 1/5. The favorite, Hawksley Hill, was fifth.

$1-MILLION SPRINT

The speedy Artax, whose races earlier this year in New York rivaled the times of such highly regarded runners as Dr. Fager and Groovy, won by half a length with six furlongs in 1:07 4/5, matching the track record that the fabled Mr. Prospector set in 1973.

Ridden by Chavez, Artax paid $9.40 after outfinishing Kona Gold. Big Jag was third and favored Forestry fourth.

$1-MILLION JUVENILE FILLIES

Surfside was supposed to be trainer Wayne Lukas’ main threat, but Cash Run, at 32-1, took an early lead and went on to score a 1 1/4-length win over favored Chilukki, who suffered her first loss in six starts. Jerry Bailey, who won two races, rode Cash Run--who had never won a stake. She ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 1/5 and paid $67.

$1-MILLION FILLY AND MARE TURF

It had been a bad year for trainer Jim Toner, battling skin cancer and losing three horses in a barn fire at Belmont Park. But Soaring Softly has helped lift Toner’s spirits, winning all but one of her starts, and capping the year with a win by three-quarters of a length in the new Breeders’ Cup race. A slight favorite under Jerry Bailey, Soaring Softly paid $9.20, running 1 3/8 miles in 2:13 4/5. Coretta was second and Zomarahah third, with Spanish Fern, winner of the Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita, finishing last.