Taken by the Wind determinedly stays perfect in Silverbulletday

Co-owned by Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Taken by the Wind seized the initiative at the break and remained unbeaten in Saturday’s $145,500 Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds, gamely holding by a neck after establishing slow opening fractions. Kenny McPeek trains and Brian Hernandez Jr. guided the Florida-bred daughter of Rock Your World.

Last seen winning the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs in mid-September, Taken by the Wind left the starting gate as the 4.40-1 co-second choice among six three-year-old fillies. The $20,000 yearling purchase improved her career earnings to $270,710.

Taken by the Wind now sits third on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 30 points. The Silverbulletday, the first of three qualifiers in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Challenge series at Fair Grounds this year, awarded points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers.

A rallying winner in her first two starts, Taken by the Wind relaxed nicely on a short lead through glacial splits in :25.69, :50.24, and 1:14.49. Luv Your Neightbor and odds-on favorite Atropa began to edge closer on the far turn and had every chance through the stretch, but Taken by the Wind saved enough to repel rivals, finishing a mile and 70 yards in 1:43.58.

The bay lass is co-owned by Magdalena Racing (Sol Kumin), Graham Leveston, and Raasi Stable.

Luv Your Neighbor, who was overlooked at 9-1 following a troubled head second in December’s Untapable at Fair Grounds, had to settle for second once again, winding up a neck better than Golden Rod (G2) runner-up Atropa in third. It was about another length to Pashmina in fourth, and Dancin in Old Town and White Smoke completed the order.

Bred by Courtney Meagher, Taken by the Wind is the first stakes winner from the First Samurai mare Up for Grabs. This is the immediate female family of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Society Selection.