Silverbulletday Stakes coming up strong

A solid field, headed by Grade 2 Golden Rod winner West Coast Belle and Top Decile, the runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Alcibiades, is taking shape for the $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes next Saturday at Fair Grounds. That race at a mile and 70 yards for 3-year-old fillies is the first stakes prep for the Fair Grounds Oaks.

West Coast Belle, trained by Wayne Catalano, hasn’t raced since winning the Golden Rod on Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs in her third start. She’s undefeated in three starts. On Monday, she worked five furlongs in 1:01.80. Jockey Billy Smith, whose last win came in 2013, was aboard for the work.

“He came to me, asked if he could work some horses to get fit,” Catalano said.

Smith, 47, said he’s attempting a comeback. He didn’t ride in a race from 2006-11, and since 2012, he has had just 47 mounts, including two at this meet. His only win since 2005 came in 2013.

Smith said that while he was working at a farm last year in Grand Bay, Ala., he broke his ankle.

“I had to stay off of it for six months,” he said, adding that a steel plate was inserted to fix the injury.

Starting in the late 1980s, Smith was a competitive Fair Grounds jockey for several seasons. He finished second in the jockeys’ standings at the 1989-90 meet, highlighted by a six-win day.

Top Decile, trained by Al Stall Jr., has won 1 of 3 starts. In each of her losses, to Peace and War in the Grade 1 Alcibiades and to Take Charge Brandi in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the margin was a half-length.

Trainer Bret Calhoun is pointing Zooming, who won the Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park for her third consecutive victory, to the Silverbulletday.

Trainer Dallas Stewart will be running Forever Unbridled, who won a maiden race at this meet in her second start and is a full sister to Unbridled Forever, the winner of the Silverbulletday last year.

Trainer Larry Jones said he’s considering three fillies – Divine Dawn, Lovely Maria, and I’m a Chatterbox – for the race. Divine Dawn, who is undefeated in two starts and won a two-turn optional-claiming race on turf Dec. 11 at this meet, will run, and Lovely Maria, who finished fourth in the Trapeze, probably will run, Jones said Thursday. I’m a Chatterbox might run next in allowance company instead of in the stakes race, he said.