Fair Grounds: Simply Joking stretches in Kentucky Oaks prep

Having broken her maiden in the Letellier last month, Simply Joking will be tested at two turns in Saturday’s $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Going one mile and 70 yards on the main track, the 33rd running of the Silverbulletday attracted a field of eight talented 3-year-old fillies for the co-feature with the Grade 3 Lecomte.

Click here for Fair Grounds entries and results.

As part of the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the Silverbulletday will award 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points to the top five finishers. It is scheduled as race 9 with a post time of 5 p.m. EST.

When making her debut in the Letellier, Simply Joking overcame an awkward start to gamely run down front-running, post-time favorite Whata Moon. The Pennsylvania-bred Practical Joke filly owned by Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner, and Berkels0813 is one of the two Silverbulletday entrants trained by Whit Beckman. The other is Drexel Hill, who will wear blinkers for the first time after earning one Oaks qualifying point with her fifth-place finish in the Untapable.

Golden Gamble and California Sunset also exit the Untapable and will join the Beckman duo in the Silverbulletday starting gate. One of three fillies entered by trainer Kenny McPeek, Golden Gamble finished second in the local Oaks prep. Her stablemates Gowells Delight and She’s a Swede, both last-out maiden winners, also were entered. California Sunset came from last to finish third in the Untapable for trainer Brad Cox.

Chasten is Cox’s other talented filly who will be in the gate. A half-sister to reigning champion older dirt female Idiomatic, Chasten dazzled winning her lone start going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs.

The Silverbulletday field also includes Bless the Broken, who ran seventh last out in the Demoiselle (G2) for trainer Will Walden.