Finite Continues Kentucky Oaks Bid In Silverbulletday

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Thomas Reiman's Finite headlines a field of eight lined up for the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes Jan. 18. The race for 3-year-old fillies marks the start of the Kentucky Oaks trail at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, and it's an event Finite's trainer, Steve Asmussen, has found success.

Asmussen and Winchell teamed to win the 2009 Silverbulletday with War Echo and the 2005 edition with Summerly, who went on to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Though champion Untapable did not race in the Silverbulletday, she began her sophomore campaign at Fair Grounds in 2014 and delivered another Kentucky Oaks win to Winchell and Asmussen.

The first four finishers of the the Silverbulletday, run at one mile and 70 yards, will receive points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward a spot in the May 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Finite has already gained experience at Churchill, winning her last two starts there in the Rags to Riches Stakes by six lengths and the Golden Rod Stakes (G2), the latter around two turns on a sloppy track. The Munnings  filly's stakes wins followed a maiden victory on turf at Kentucky Downs.

Video: Golden Rod S. (G2)

LNJ Foxwoods' Portrait, who has not raced since finishing third in the Sept. 14 Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill, will try to break through at the graded level. The Tapizar  filly was a 12 1/2-length maiden winner second time out.

"We are very excited," trainer Brad Cox said. "I talked to Alex Solis (bloodstock agent for LNJ Foxwoods) and basically said that I didn't think it was necessary to go into the first-level allowance right now. She's training as well as she's trained and I feel comfortable to try this stake off the layoff. There's a quality filly in there who has won a graded stake (Finite) and she deserves to be favored, but if we can get a good trip, she'll make a good account of herself. I've always liked this filly. She's very talented."

Cox-trained Monomoy Girl, also by Tapizar, started her sophomore campaign at Fair Grounds two years ago in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) before winning the Kentucky Oaks.

Pocahontas second His Glory, who followed up with an allowance score and a sixth in the Golden Rod, and Letellier Memorial Stakes runner-up Ursula, are the other entries with black-type.

Rounding out the field are Tempers Rising, who broke her maiden around two turns at Churchill; Pass the Plate, set for her dirt debut after breaking her maiden and winning an allowance on turf; Maga Suite, another filly to break her maiden on turf; and She Can't Sing, a 7 1/4-length maiden at Churchill who was fourth in the Golden Rod. 

Entries: Silverbulletday S.

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 12

• STK
• 1m 70y
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:23 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tempers Rising (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Dallas Stewart	10/1
2	2Pass the Plate (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	122	Paul J. McGee	8/1
3	3Ursula (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	122	Michael Stidham	12/1
4	4His Glory (FL)	James Graham	122	Thomas M. Amoss	5/1
5	5Maga Suite (KY)	Robby Albarado	122	Tracey Glover	20/1
6	6Finite (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	6/5
7	7Portrait (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brad H. Cox	7/2
8	8She Can't Sing (KY)	Gabriel Saez	122	Chris M. Block	8/1