Silverbulletday (foaled January 22, 1996 in Kentucky) is an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

racehorse. Bred in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, she was sired by

Silver Deputy Silver Deputy (February 25, 1985, in Ontario – October 4, 2014) was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse best known as a top sire in North America. He was a son of Deputy Minister, who was an Eclipse and Sovereign Award winning runner and the 199 ...

and out of the GII winning

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Rokeby Rose. Her damsire was

Tom Rolfe Tom Rolfe (April 14, 1962 – June 12, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading colt of his generation in the United States, winning the Preakness Stakes and being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Ho ...

, the 1965

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

winner and that year's U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt. Her grandsire was Deputy Minister, the 1981

Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...

and a very important North American sire.

1998: two-year-old season

Purchased by Michael E. Pegram, who gave her to trainer

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

for conditioning, Silverbulletday began her racing career at age two with an 11-length win. In her second start, she won the Grade II Debutante Stakes at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

in June at six furlongs under jockey Gary Stevens. In late July, Stevens guided Silverbulletday to a win in the Grade III six and one half furlong

Sorrento Stakes The Sorrento Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a p ...

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

. After her first loss in the Grade III Del Mar Debutante, Baffert and Pegram mapped out a strategy of attempting to win the division by moving her tack for the rest of the year to Churchill Downs in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. There Silverbulletday reeled off another three straight wins to finish her championship season. In early October, she won the Grade II

Alcibiades Stakes The Alcibiades Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A Grade I race, it is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dir ...

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

at a mile and one sixteenth. Then she clinched the division title with a win in the fall's Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies held at Churchill that year. In that race, she beat a very strong field of ten, including stakes winners Excellent Meeting and Three Ring, who finished second and third. Baffert then wheeled her back in three weeks to capture the Grade III

Golden Rod Stakes The Golden Rod Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event open to two-year-old fillies, it is currently contested on dirt over a distance of miles (8.5 ...

at a mile and one sixteenth at Churchill. Silverbulletday's performances in 1998 earned her United States Champion 2-Yr-Old Filly honors.

1999: three-year-old season

In 1999, Silverbulletday won five straight races, including prestigious stakes races like the Ashland Stakes. In early May, she won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday ...

, the fillies equivalent of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, giving the now two time Triple Crown winning trainer

his first Kentucky Oaks winner. Her next start was two weeks later on May 14 in the

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of miles on the dirt annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The event currently offers a ...

, the fillies equivalent of the

, which is the second jewel in the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

. The Black-Eyed Susan is the second jewel of the National Triple Tiara, run at a mile and one eighth at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Silverbulletday beat a field of stakes winners, including Dreams Gallore and Vee Vee Star, who finished second and third respectively. Later that year, Silverbulletday was entered in the third of the American Classic Races, the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

. She held the lead through more than three-quarters of the race but the 1½ mile test proved too long for her and she finished seventh to winner

Lemon Drop Kid Lemon Drop Kid (foaled May 26, 1996) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Best known for winning the 1999 Belmont Stakes, he was also the champion older horse of 2000 after winning the Brooklyn, Suburban, Whitney Handicaps and the ...

. Silverbulletday came back to win over fillies in the

Monmouth Oaks The Monmouth Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey for three-year-old fillies. Named for England's Epsom Oaks, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1 ...

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

. Then she raced in the third jewel of the New York Triple Tiara, the 1¼-mile

Alabama Stakes The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. Inaugurated in 1872, the Grade I race is run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the dirt track at Saratoga Race Course. Held in mid August, it cu ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

, which she won by nine lengths. She next won another Grade I event, the

Gazelle Handicap The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-yea ...

, then ran second in the

Beldame Stakes The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and curr ...

to Beautiful Pleasure. The heavy

parimutuel betting Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...

favorite for the 1999 Breeders' Cup Distaff, Silverbulletday was in contention until the stretch drive but then faded and finished sixth to winner Beautiful Pleasure. Silverbulletday's performances in 1999 earned her United States Champion 3-Yr-Old Filly honors.

2000: four-year-old season

In 2000, Silverbulletday returned to the track. Her best results were a win in the

Doubledogdare Stakes The Doubledogdare Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, over a distance of a mile and a sixteenth on the dirt held annually in April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, ...

and second-place finishes in the Grade II

Fleur de Lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

and Molly Pitcher Handicaps.

Retirement

Retired to

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

duty having won fifteen races and banked more than $3 million, Silverbulletday has produced foals by prominent sires such as A.P. Indy and

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...

, but none to date have found significant racing success. Silverbulletday was a 2007 finalist on the balloting for induction in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. In 2009, she was inducted.

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Silverbulletday , m = Rokeby Rose dk br 1977 , f = Silver Deputy dk br 1985 , mm = Rokeby Venus bay 1970 , mf =

bay 1962 , fm = Silver Valley chestnut 1979 , ff = Deputy Minister bay 1979 , mmm = All Beautiful , mmf = Quadrangle , mfm = Pocahontas , mff = Ribot , fmm = Seven Valleys , fmf = Mr. Prospector , ffm = Mint Copy , fff =

Vice Regent Vice Regent (April 29, 1967 – June 18, 1995) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse and Canada's leading sire for thirteen years. Owned and bred by E. P. Taylor, he was from Northern Dancer's second crop and out of the mare Victori ...

, mmmm = Parlo , mmmf = Battlefield , mmfm = Tap Day , mmff = Cohoes , mfmm = How , mfmf = Roman , mffm = Romanella , mfff =

Tenerani Tenerani (foaled April 14, 1944 in Italy) was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in Italy and in England. Bred by Lydia & Federico Tesio, he was named for the Italian sculptor, Pietro Tenerani. His dam was Tofanella, a foundation bro ...

, fmmm = Proud Pied , fmmf = Road at Sea , fmfm = Gold Digger , fmff =

Raise a Native Raise a Native (April 18, 1961 – July 28, 1988) was an undefeated Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse that was named 1963 champion two-year-old colt in the Turf and Sport Digest poll and was the highest rated juvenile in the Experimental Free ...

, ffmm = Shakney , ffmf = Bunty's Flight , fffm = Victoria Regina , ffff =

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

}

References

Silverbulletday's pedigree and partial racing stats
1996 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winners Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Kentucky Oaks winners Thoroughbred family 1-c