Wonder Gadot, Heavenly Love Head Silverbulletday
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Wonder Gadot kicks away from her competition in the Demoiselle
The Mark Casse-trained duo of Wonder Gadot and Heavenly Love top the entries of 12 3-year-old fillies for the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes Jan. 13 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Gary Barber's Wonder Gadot, who won the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) Dec. 2, is cross-entered in the Lecomte Stakes (G3), where she would face male rivals. The Lecomte is two races later on the card at the same distance as the Silverbulletday of one mile, 70 yards.
"I think Mr. Barber and Mark will make the decision closer to race time," Casse's assistant trainer David Carroll said. "The main thing was to get a work over the track, which she handled beautifully and she cooled out great. She and Heavenly Love both went beautifully. That decision will be made on game day so to speak.
"I think he'll just be looking at the race and probably see who scratches and then take it from there. The main thing is that (Wonder Gadot) shipped in very well and breezed beautifully. Whatever race she goes in, we look forward to it."
Wonder Gadot and Heavenly Love worked in company with each other Jan. 6 at Fair Grounds, both clocking a half-mile in :49 2/5.
With a victory in the Mazarine Stakes (G3) on Woodbine's all-weather track under her belt in October, Wonder Gadot finished sixth in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 4 after being checked at the eighth pole. The Medaglia d'Oro filly rebounded with a 3 3/4-length score in the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Debby Oxley's homebred Heavenly Love broke her maiden at Kentucky Downs and then won the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in October by a dominating 5 1/2 lengths. The daughter of Malibu Moon faded to finish 11th in the Juvenile Fillies last time out.
Those two will be up against Arindel homebred Blonde Bomber, who closed from sixth in the stretch to finish third in the Juvenile Fillies. The Fort Larned filly won her previous outing in her only other stakes try, the Sept. 30 Our Dear Peggy Stakes, run at a mile over Gulfstream Park's main track.
The Silverbulletday awards points to the top four finishers for the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on a 10-4-2-1 scale.
In the $125,000 Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the turf, grade 2 winner Tower of Texas is the morning-line favorite.
The 7-year-old Street Sense gelding closed out 2017 with a third-place finish in the Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Dec. 16. The Roger Attfield trainee will face Tropical Turf runner-up Galton and last year's Colonel E. R. Bradley winner Granny's Kitten, who won when it was run as a grade 3.
Buff Bradley and Carl Hurst's The Player heads the 1 1/16-mile $75,000 Louisiana Stakes. The winner of the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) looks to recover from his fifth-place run in the Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs, where he was bothered at the three-sixteenths by before fading behind winner Seeking the Soul.
The 5-year-old son of Street Hero will also line up against Fair Grounds' Tenacious Stakes winner Cooptado and multiple-graded winner Scuba, who comes off a win in the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (G3) Nov. 25.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 13, 2018, Race 7Entries: Silverbulletday S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Blonde Bomber (FL)
Jose Lezcano
122
Stanley I. Gold
7/2
2
2Wonder Gadot (ON)
John R. Velazquez
122
Mark E. Casse
2/1
3
3Saguaro Row (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
116
Brendan P. Walsh
20/1
4
4Remember Daisy (LA)
Mitchell Murrill
116
Gary M. Scherer
30/1
5
5Stellar Moon (KY)
Robby Albarado
116
Michael Stidham
15/1
6
6America's Tale (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Bernard S. Flint
8/1
7
7Heavenly Love (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
122
Mark E. Casse
3/1
8
8Shes Our Fastest (TX)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
120
Scott Gelner
20/1
9
9Missive (KY)
Joe Bravo
116
Michael Stidham
15/1
10
10Stronger Than Ever (KY)
Florent Geroux
122
Kenneth G. McPeek
12/1
11
11Noblame (WV)
Adam Beschizza
120
Joe Sharp
20/1
12
12Terra's Angel (KY)
Sasha Risenhoover
122
Terry Eoff
30/1
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 13, 2018, Race 8Entries: Colonel E. R. Bradley H.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Dimension (GB)
James Graham
120
Conor Murphy
8/1
2
2Avanzare (KY)
Adam Beschizza
114
Karl Broberg
12/1
3
3Galton (KY)
Javier Castellano
118
Michael J. Maker
5/1
4
4Monster Bea (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Mark E. Casse
6/1
5
5Tower of Texas (ON)
Florent Geroux
120
Roger L. Attfield
7/2
6
6Granny's Kitten (PA)
Corey J. Lanerie
117
Michael J. Maker
6/1
7
7Applicator (KY)
Jack Gilligan
115
Mikhail Yanakov
12/1
8
8Saham (PA)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
115
Brendan P. Walsh
8/1
9
9Special Ops (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
117
Michael J. Maker
6/1
10
10Thatcher Street (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
116
Ian R. Wilkes
8/1
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 13, 2018, Race 10Entries: Louisiana S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Hawaakom (KY)
Miguel Mena
118
Wesley E. Hawley
12/1
2
2Rated R Superstar (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
12/1
3
3Leofric (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
118
Brad H. Cox
8/1
4
4Cedartown (KY)
Joe Bravo
124
Michael Stidham
10/1
5
5The Player (KY)
Calvin H. Borel
122
William B. Bradley
3/1
6
6Scuba (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
124
Brendan P. Walsh
10/1
7
7Seattle Serenade (KY)
Javier Castellano
122
Jerry Hollendorfer
12/1
8
8Cooptado (ARG)
Declan Cannon
124
Thomas Morley
8/1
9
9Shut the Box (KY)
Florent Geroux
122
Angel O. Montano, Sr.
8/1
10
10Dazzling Gem (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
118
Brad H. Cox
9/2
11
11December Seven (KY)
James Graham
118
Paul J. McGee
12/1
12
12Guest Suite (KY)
Robby Albarado
118
Neil J. Howard
15/1