Lakenheath Wins Silverbulletday Stakes

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Lakenheath rallied furiously on the far outside to nip Morning Sun by a nose in Saturday's Grade III $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds.

The two favorites, Beloved By All and My Meggie Meg, contested the lead to the eighth pole, setting up the finish for the two strong closers. Beloved By All held on for the show.

Ridden by Corey Lanerie, Lakenheath finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:46 and paid $17.40.

"Last time, she wasn't mentally ready, but she put it together today," said Lanerie, referring to her fourth-place finish in the Jan. 28 Tiffany Lass Stakes. "Around the turn, she fell out of it, but when I hit her with the left- handed stick, she started picking them up."

Owned by Jim Tafel and trained by Gene Cilio, Lakenheath used the long stretch of Fair Grounds to her advantage.

"She's deceiving because the last sixteenth, she has another gear," Cilio said. "If all goes well, we'll head to the Fair Grounds Oaks."

The Oaks, a Grade II event, is scheduled for March 10.

Runner-up Morning Sun had "a Picasso trip," according to rider Robby Albarado. "She responded well, really tries hard. She just got beat at the wire."

Beloved By All, sent off as the 4-5 favorite, faded in the stretch to finish third.

"I thought I was a winner at the eighth pole, but she came up empty," trainer Steve Asmussen said. "I don't know if it's lack of experience, or maybe she'll never go that long."

The spotlight remains on the 3-year-olds Sunday when graded stakes winner Dollar Bill heads a field of 11 in the Risen Star Stakes, the final prep for the Grade II Louisiana Derby. First post is 12:30 p.m. CST; the Risen Star is scheduled for 3:25 p.m.

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