Shadow Cast captures Silverbulletday

NEW ORLEANS - Neil Howard trains mostly for owners who breed horses. The idea with a young filly is to pump up her resume with black type. That was why Shadow Cast raced Saturday in the , and Howard and owner William Farish Jr. got even more than they hoped for. Shadow Cast made a sustained run on the worst part of a sloppy Fair Grounds racetrack to win the Silverbulletday by three-quarters of a length over Quick Temper.

And now Farish has a Grade 2 winner.

Shadow Cast raced in mid-pack for most of the $150,000 Silverbulletday, a race that was watered down by the absence of California shippers and an injury to Lotta Kim, the Tiffany Lass winner. When the Fair Grounds track gets wet, the rail is usually the place to be, but Shadow Cast, making her move coming off the turn under Robby Albarado, raced a few paths from the inside most of the way. She gradually wore down Quick Temper in the last eighth of a mile, running 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.82, and paying $7.80 to win. Sister Swank was a distant third, followed by Josie G., favored Movant, and Love Power.

"She's trained okay for us," Howard said, noting that putting the blinkers on Shadow cast in her last start "made a big difference."

Howard tends to be conservative when he makes decisions, but with no clear favorites in the Silverbulletday, he took a shot with Shadow Cast. That was also Niall O'Callaghan's idea, and he shipped Quick Temper from Payson Park for the race. She ran very well, but a misstep coming off the first turn might have cost her.

Quick Temper and jockey Larry Melancon had the rail and moved through on the inside to take the lead into the first turn, but Quick Temper ducked out leaving the turn, costing her inside position. She tracked Sister Swank through a half-mile in 48.48 seconds before taking over in the stretch run.

"I thought turning for home, I was going to win," Melancon said.

Shadow Cast had a different idea.