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 ...

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, ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...

. 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 Virgini ...

, she was sired by Silver Deputy 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 f ...

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 Hor ...

, 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 ...

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

at Del Mar. 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 borde ...

. 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 dirt. ...

at Keeneland Race Course 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 The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

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 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 The Ashland Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It and the Ashland Oaks, the Kentucky Association racetrack's predecessor race, were named fo ...

. 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-yea ...

, 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 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 * T ...

. 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 O ...

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 In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three ...

, the Belmont Stakes. 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. 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 ...

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, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

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

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 winni ...

favorite for the 1999

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

, 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 at Keeneland Race Course 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 th ...

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 f ...

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 Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, i ...

, ffm = Mint Copy , fff = Vice Regent , mmmm = Parlo , mmmf = Battlefield , mmfm = Tap Day , mmff = Cohoes , mfmm = How , mfmf = Roman , mffm = Romanella , mfff = Tenerani , 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 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 Handicap. He s ...

, 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 Canadi ...

}

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