Fair Grounds: Silverbulletday looks like a match race

NEW ORLEANS – That trainers Larry Jones and Dallas Stewart have the top 3-year-old fillies in the Silverbulletday Stakes comes as no surprise. Jones and Stewart have combined to win the Kentucky Oaks – the ultimate early-season goal for such horses – three of the last eight years. Jones won in 2012 with Believe You Can and in 2008 with Proud Spell, while Stewart upset the 2006 Oaks with Lemons Forever.

It’s a daughter of Lemons Forever – Unbridled Forever – who carries Stewart’s hopes into the $125,000 Silverbulletday. Jones’s entrant is Divine Beauty, who attempts to run her unbeaten streak to 3. Both horses try two turns for the first time in the mile-and-70-yard dirt race, the seventh on Saturday’s card.

Just four others were entered – Express Model, Army, Istanford, and Awesome Jill – and a win by any would be surprising. Istanford has shown turf ability but has the action of a horse better suited to grass than dirt.

Circumstances Saturday appear to slightly favor Divine Beauty over Unbridled Forever. Unbridled Forever is drawn in post 2, Divine Beauty in post 6, giving her a tactical edge. Divine Beauty has a race over the Fair Grounds track and last started on Dec. 21, compared to Nov. 30 for Unbridled Forever. But Unbridled Forever won a seven-furlong maiden race at Churchill impressively enough to suggest she might have the talent to overcome the setup.

A Charles Fipke homebred by Unbridled’s Song, Unbridled Forever debuted at a mile on Oct. 27 at Churchill, set the pace along the rail, and held the lead until the eighth pole, growing weary but finishing decently to be fifth of 10. Getting Lasix for the first time and going seven furlongs on Nov. 30, she ran much better, rushing into the pace after a slow start and powering home a 5 1/4-length winner. Her strong Fair Grounds work pattern suggests Stewart has her set for Saturday’s stretch to two turns.

“She never gets tired,” Stewart said. “She works good, gallops out good, eats good.”

Like Stewart, Jones – who has won the Silverbulletday two of the last five years – is confident his filly will like route racing. Divine Beauty, a Brereton Jones homebred by Divine Park, won her six-furlong debut on the lead and the six-furlong Letellier Stakes here rallying from last.

“This filly will do whatever you want her to,” Jones said.

The field is small, true contenders scarce, but the Divine Beauty-Unbridled Forever matchup makes the Silverbulletday worth watching. The race offers qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks on a 10-4-2-1 basis for first through fourth.