Rachel Alexandra Stakes up next for Simply Joking after Silverbulletday win

Simply Joking bounced out of her convincing Silverbulletday Stakes victory in good order, trainer Whit Beckman said, and will likely run back Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, a stepping-stone to the Fair Grounds Oaks – and points beyond.

Simply Joking debuted Dec. 21 and won the six-furlong Letellier Stakes with a stalking trip. She went to the lead Saturday under Jaime Torres and, aside from racing greenly the final 50 yards, had no trouble with her first route trip. Simply Joking got an 87 Beyer, up from 84 in her debut.

“She figured to go to the front, and I knew this filly can go two turns,” Beckman said. “She never did anything to make me think she could only go one turn. She was out there with her ears pricked, having fun. She did get a little green and has some things to learn, but she continues to confirm what we thought of her. The rider came back and said she could go much farther.”

Simply Joking took a mildly serpentine path under the wire after going clear in upper stretch; Beckman believes the filly, by Practical Joke, has developed a fixation with big screens and was looking at the one in the infield when she lost focus.

“We saw her looking at the screen in the paddock, and then when she came back yesterday, she shied away from it again, almost ran into the pony,” he said. “Experience is going to go such a long way with her.”

Drexel Hill, another Beckman 3-year-old filly, finished a solid third in the Silverbulletday, improving upon her fifth-place finish Dec. 21 in the Untapable Stakes. Beckman plans to move Drexel Hill to Kentucky sometime in coming weeks and aim for an early March race, either at Turfway Park or Aqueduct.

And on Sunday morning, Beckman worked Untapable winner Her Laugh a half mile that was strong enough to convince him to enter the filly for the Martha Washington Stakes this Saturday at Oaklawn Park. Breezing with one-race maiden Don’t Blink, Her Laugh was timed in 48 seconds, Beckman catching her galloping out five furlongs in about a minute.

“That was a seriously good work. I was half on the fence about the Martha Washington, but at this point I think I’ll just enter,” Beckman said.

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