West Coast Belle 'Great' Out of Silverbulletday

Photo: Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photo

Gary and Mary West’s graded stakes-winning sophomore filly West Coast Belle is no worse for the wear after her somewhat disappointing fourth-place finish in the Listed $125,000 Silverbulletday on Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. 

 
Sent off as the second choice behind Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Top Decile, the daughter of 2014 champion sire Tapit was positioned slightly closer than usual in the Silverbulletday and made a bid at the top of the stretch before failing to manifest an impact under Shaun Bridgmohan. Previous to that effort, she was a sharp winner of the Grade II $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs in late November and was three-for-three in her short career.
 

“She came out great,” reported trainer Wayne Catalano. “She got outrun by the winner and should have been second. We’re going to draw a line through the race. She’s going to stay (at Fair Grounds) for right now.”

Next up for the homebred is likely to be either the Grade III $175,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 21, Grade III $150,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Mar. 7 or Grade II $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 21. Both the Rachel Alexandra and Honeybee are contested over 1 1/16 miles, while the Davona Dale is contested over a one-turn mile – similar to the trip over which she romped by nearly seven lengths in her second start, the $62,768 Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs in late October.

‘NIGHTCAP MURRILL’ STRIKES AGAIN

Apprentice Mitchell Murrill – the leading bug rider of the meet – apparently enjoys ending the workday with a bang and has done so by winning a striking amount of nightcaps this 143rd Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots season. According to data collected by racing analyst Brian W. Spencer, the native of Mobile, Alabama, has ridden 19.2% of his races this meet on the last race of the day and earned 7 (46.6%) of his 15 wins in them. Moreover, in the last race of the day he has a record of 7-5-4 from 36 starts, yielding a total win mutual of $209.80 and a $5.83 flat-bet ($2) ROI. His win-place-show ROI in the nightcap is an impressive $11.27. 

 

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I like it,” Murrill said. “It’s just been pretty regular and I’ve had some good horses in the final races and wound up winning with a few of them. (Agent) Rick (Mocklin, who recently took over the 20-year-old’s book) helps out tremendously with business.”

Murrill commenced his riding career in May 2014 at Evangeline Downs. From 533 career starts, Murrill has 50 wins, 60 seconds and 72 thirds for purse earnings just shy of $1 million.

 
KATIE’S EYES TO FOCUS ON KEENELAND
In Good Deed’s considerable shadow in the female turf sprint division at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one filly has started to show she may have what it takes to develop into one of the best of said category. Ike and Dawn Thrash and Sam and Janet Alley’s Katie’s Eyes has won two consecutive 5½-furlong grass sprints in highly impressive fashion under Florent Geroux.
 
Trained by Mike Stidham, the daughter of turf star Leroidesanimaux returned from a seven-month break and won a first-level allowance over good turf by 4¼ easy lengths on Jan. 2. The effort earned the bay filly a 91 Equibase Speed Figure – a number she increased by nine points when kicking clear of a second-level allowance field by 1¾ lengths at the same distance (this time over firm turf) on Jan. 22. According to Stidham, the goal for the Kentucky-bred filly is the Listed $100,000 Giant’s Causeway Stakes at Keeneland over the same trip on Apr. 11. 
 

As a sophomore, the 4-year-old was third in both the Grade III $125,000 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park and Grade II $200,000 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland while under the tutelage of Grant Forster. Since moving to the Stidham barn, Katie’s Eyes is an undefeated two-for-two. 

Source: Fair Grounds Barn Notes

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