8.31.2002 Photo By: Benoit & Associates   Nelson Bunker Hunt's Souris, shown winning the Top Flight Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 31, will break from the rail under jockey Corey Lanerie in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes (GII), which will be contested at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, La. on Feb. 15.

Allspice Tabbed Morning Line Favorite For Silverbulletday
By: John Gaver III

(Feb. 13, 2003) - James Tafel's homebred filly Allspice has run winning races in her past two stakes starts at Fair Grounds, however she had the misfortune of hooking a buzz saw in the form of Lady Tak, who won the $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes and the $75,000 Thelma Stakes at the New Orleans, La. racetrack by a combined total of 7 ¾ lengths.

That won't be the case on Saturday, Feb. 15 when 2-1 morning-line favorite Allspice hooks a field of seven other three-year-old fillies - excluding Lady Tak - in the 22nd running of the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes (GII) which will be contested at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth.

The Silverbulletday (formerly the Davona Dale Stakes) is the final local prep for the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), a race that Lady Tak will train up to, on Mar. 8.

"I absolutely don't feel bad missing it," Lady Tak's trainer, Steve Asmussen, said to Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersh. "All I have to do is look back at what I did last year with Lake Lady. I think I ran her too much, too soon."

Allspice, a bay daughter of Coronado's Quest, finished well in both her encounters with Lady Tak. And she was the victim of her own inexperience when she ducked out in the stretch run of Thelma and was subsequently disqualified and placed third.

Allspice, who won the $100,000 Eliza Stakes at Arlington Park as a juvenile, drilled a half-mile in :48 4/5 breezing on Feb. 8 at Fair Grounds for trainer Gene Cilio in her final tune-up for the Silverbulletday. She will break from post four under jockey Robby Albarado.

Asmussen, who currently sits atop the Fair Grounds' trainer standings, will be well represented in the Silverbulletday even with his crack filly Lady Tak tucked away in the barn, as he will tighten the elastics on N. B. Hunt's Souris and the Winchell Family Trusts' Arrival Time.

Souris, a consistent bay daughter of Defrere, who has never been out of the money in her career, won the $75,000 Top Flight Stakes as a juvenile at Arlington and went on to finish third in the Arlington-Washington Lassie (GIII). She will break from the rail with jockey Corey Lanerie in the saddle.

Pocahontas Stakes winner Belle Of Perintown reared up badly in the starting gate and nearly flipped prior to the running of the Tiffany Lass Stakes. She finished last, 30 1/2-lengths behind Lady Tak, but wasn't persevered with by jockey Calvin Borel after the turmoil. She has since schooled in the gate and had a useful five-furlong maintenance breeze in 1:02 flat on Feb. 9 for trainer Eddie Kenneally, and the daughter of Dehere has redeemed herself off a lackluster effort in the past. Jockey Calvin Borel will be back aboard Belle of Perintown and the duo will break from post five.

Kentucky-based trainer Greg Foley shipped in Golden Marlin for the Silverbulletday, and the daughter of Marlin will make her two-turn debut in the mile and a sixteenth event. She's coming off a stalking victory in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes on Jan. 18 at Turfway Park in her post recent start, where she won off by a clear length and a half.

Golden Marlin shipped in early to trainer Angel Montano's barn and has a useful six-furlong breeze in 1:14 2/5 over the Fair Grounds strip. The bay filly was only 6 1/4-lengths off Lady Tak in an ultra-competitive allowance race at Churchill Downs last fall, an event that also featured the highly-touted filly Perfect Story.

Shane Sellers will handle Golden Marlin, who is bred to relish the stretch out to a mile and a sixteenth. The pair will break from post position six.

The complete field for the Silverbulletday Stakes, in post position order with riders, weights and morning line odds is Souris, Lanerie, 122, 5-2; Arrival Time, Frank Lovato, Jr., 112, 8-1; Allspice, Albarado, 122, 2-1; Rebridled Dreams, Eddie Martin, Jr., 114, 4-1; Belle Of Perintown, Borel, 122, 8-1; Afternoon Dreams, Willie Martinez, 112, 4-1; Golden Marlin, Sellers, 119, 5-1 and Cheryl's Myth, Lonnie Meche, 122, 20-1.

Rebridled Dreams and Afternoon Dreams will run as a coupled entry for wagering purposes. Both fillies are owned by Coast To Coast Racing Fund and trained by Bret Calhoun.

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