Favored Bouquet Booth held off Daisy Devine in deep stretch to win the $98,000 Silverbulletday Stakes by a neck at Fair Grounds Jan. 22 for her third consecutive victory (VIDEO).
Bouquet Booth took the $500,000 Delta Downs Princess Stakes (gr. III) in a 9-1 surprise in her most recent start Nov. 20 and was the only graded winner in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies for the Silverbulletday.
With Shaun Bridgmohan aboard for Right Time Racing and trainer Steve Margolis, the daughter of Flower Alley--Toll Order, by Loup Savage, ran the one mile and forty yards in 1:41.24 on a fast track.
“She’s got a lot of class,” Margolis said of the winner. “She showed a lot of determination because the other horse (Daisy Devine) had just won over the track. We were coming off of a two-month semi-layoff by design.”
Bouquet Booth outfought Daisy Devine, on her outside with James Graham riding, for the early lead after they bumped at the start and maintained about a one-length advantage while clicking off moderate fractions of :24.53, :48.67, and 1:13.28. Bouquet Booth took the field into the homestretch, opening up a 1 1/2-length edge at the eighth pole.
Daisy Devine fought back, however, drawing within a neck in deep stretch, but the Kafwain miss could not reach even terms with Bouquet Booth, who finished gamely under strong urging from Bridgmohan. Little Miss Holly, third at every call with Rosie Napravnik in the irons, finished one length farther back.
“She’s a fighter,” Bridgmohan said of Bouquet Booth. “They came up to her and she got a little tired at the end but she knew what she was doing and she gutted it out.”
The Silverbulletday is the first in Fair Grounds’ three-race stakes series for sophomore fillies that culminates with the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) March 26. Margolis acknowledged the Fair Grounds Oaks as a likely steppingstone to the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) but suggested a start in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 19 might not be necessary.
After two in-the-money performances to begin her career at Hoosier Park last summer, Bouquet Booth broke her maiden by 3 1/2 lengths as the favorite over Keeneland's Polytrack Oct. 15. She returned in the one-mile Princess at Delta Downs, rallying from seventh to score by a half length.
Her career mark improved to 3-1-1 in five tries with earnings of $398,700.
Brookdale and Dr. Ted Folkerth bred the winning dark bay or brown filly in Kentucky. She was a $30,000 Ocala Breeders' Sale purchase in the June 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale last year. She is the first stakes winner for her sire.
Sent off as the 8-5 choice while carrying co-high weight of 122 pounds, Bouquet Booth paid $5.20, $3.40, and $2.40. Daisy Devine, in her stakes debut for trainer Andrew McKeever, saw her two-race win streak end. She returned $9.40 and $5.60 and completed a $52 exacta. Little Miss Holly was $3.40 to show.
Wahoo Babe was 2 1/2 lengths back in fourth, edging second choice Aide. Ambient and Seans Silverdancer trailed. Chloe Kate scratched.
