The Silverbulletday Stakes
1 Lucky Delite The Sidley Stud Franco M 122
Like plenty of the stables runners she followed a fairly innocuous path through the fair track circuit before being stepped up in grade for the last four starts of her 2025 season. Stumbling a little in her first stakes start at CT she soon put that behind her by running a fine second in the Tempted, stalking the lead and keep on strongly to go down by a half-length. She continued that progress in both the Fern Creek where she followed similar tactics to go down by a nose and then the Untappable where she came from further back to run a closing third. Back on the inside today I would expect her to take up a more prominent role, and she has proven herself capable and tenacious so far so there is no reason she won’t be part of this finish again.
2 Boldly Unbold Mb Stables Velazquez J R 122
She wasn’t far off the top fillies last year, beaten a length into sixth in the grade one Spinaway and then the same distance when second in the grade one Frizette. Those efforts gave her a spot in the BC Juveniles fillies, but her wide gate made it too tough, and she could only manage ninth, still only two lengths off the winner. She ended the season back in grade to run second in the FL Sires stakes-My Dear beaten under a length. I am not sure how to place her in this sort of grade; she clearly has ability but has just lacked that killer punch at this level so she is by no means an easy choice as winner. Her form and ability as well as the perfect draw and Jockey give her every chance of taking this out and she may well start favourite on the strength of that.
3 Trickyster Williams9 Pinto M 122
We are used to seeing this stable competing at this level now but although this one has shown signs of ability it is tough to see her in the top three. Her best recent effort came in the Rags To Riches when a good third but poor efforts surround that highlight, and I cannot get excited about her chances today despite a good draw.
4 Dearest Lady Royalty Stables Murphy O 122
Lightly raced this filly was a real early bloomer winning a good maiden on debut and then just missing in the My Dear when going down by a nose. She went on to run a very solid third in the Spinaway but was then very ordinary in her fourth and last start when a distant seventh in the Oak Leaf. Royalty Stables picked her up in the end of year auction for $100.000 and she has worked well for the new stable suggesting she is more like the filly we saw in The Spinaway again and that effort gives her a bright chance in a race like this. She is a little hard to weigh up but I would certainly give her a winning chance.
5 Western Espresso Nakamura Stables Castillo I 122
Another lightly raced sort she hails from a stable that knows how to win and races from a gate that will give her tactical options. Like a few she started off at a low level winning her maiden at BTP in October but quickly proved she was far better than a fair track horse with a game win in a WO optional claimer by a half-length. She had led in both her wins but couldn’t secure the lead in her fourth and last start when running third in a turf mile on an off track in the Blue Norther Stakes. If you ignore that last start being on an off track, she certainly comes into the reckoning as a progressive filly who is working in the same pocket as the more favoured runners and must be given some sort of chance of being in it at the end.
6 Hot Bobbygum Williams9 Hernandez R M 122
She certainly looks stronger than the other stable entry and has the advantage of fitness over some of her rivals after a very close third in the Santa Ynez Stakes on January third. As a two-year-old she was an early type running a nose second in the Tah Dah Stakes after winning her maiden in April, but when she failed in the Spinaway, she was given a break before coming back for a decent allowance second at PRX. She has never run beyond the seven furlongs, but her effort in the Santa Ynez suggests she may improve over longer and today will be the day for her to prove herself.
7 Balance That Budget Rock Creek Husbands P 122
As far as form on the board goes this one has more than some. She was a close up fifth in the Spinaway running on strongly from a poor draw and beaten just a length and after a respectable effort on the turf came back to the dirt in the Starlet where she franked that Spinaway form with an excellent closing third. That last effort in the Starlet certainly puts her right in this with a winning chance and she will enjoy the company of P Husbands who rode her well in the Spinaway.
8 Sizzling Shark Emerald Racing Inc Santana R Jr 122
Her works say she is as good as anything in this field but her racecourse performance doesn’t if you are a believer in a class system here at HRP. A good maiden winner at AQU after being claimed cheaply she then ran poorly in the Maid of the Mist causing her new trainer to take a step back in grade in her last two starts as a juvenile. She was pretty good in her last start when a closing second in an FG allowance and that sort of effort put her in with a chance. I would expect to see her going back from this draw but with some luck down the stretch she could get into the money.
9 Pretty Pretty Good La Canada Racehorses Cedillo A 122
She took a while to land her maiden but showed the penny had dropped by making it two in a row last time when taking a competitive allowance at PRX. She may be a tick behind them on works, but her last two starts say she has the ability on the track to be a big factor. She has a tricky gate to negotiate so won’t be top choice, but a big run would not surprise.
11 Contangle Nakamura Stables Bejarano R 122
A free track winner on debut she went on for a big Allowance win at AQU after that and then went two good efforts in stakes company, most recently when a neck second in the PARX Future Stars. She has some lightening six furlong works but a less impressive mile one so the trip is still a question mark, but it is clear there is some untapped ability there. The draw will be very tough with her running style saying she will go back in a big field but of the race engine is kind to her she could run a big race.
12 Iron Hooves Angelos Stable Reyes A A 122
Two runs, one win in maiden company, it is tough to tell if this one can step up in grade today especially from a horror draw. The works on the board do not look good enough but I have learned one thing at HRP and that is nothing is without a chance.
13 Cailleach Jerry Garcia Racing Geroux F 122
Another without any sort of indication of stakes class she comes into this off the ballot and into the wide gate which could be enough to put you off. Despite her last three races being in claimers and those resulting in just one win in a sprint maiden it is worth noting that her works certainly do not reflect what she has shown so far on the track. Her last mile work was as good if not better than the stakes types in this race so based on that, and that alone she may just be the one to keep an eye on at huge odds.
SUMMARY
Pretty tough to be confident about who will win this race, but it can pay in those circumstances to stick with what we know works. A decent draw, a decent trainer, sure to get the trip and perhaps the jockey too. With that in mind I would go for Balance The Budget to win with Lucky Delite and Boldly Unbold as the dangers. If you fancy a throw at the stumps a Disney dollar each way on the Contangle and Caileach may be worth a gamble.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded