Bolt d’Oro has connections dreaming big after FrontRunner win
Ruis Racing LLC’s Bolt d’Oro used the $300,000 Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes as a stepping stone to the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and showed off his potential talent with a dominating win in the 1 1/16 miles test.
“This was pretty cool,” said trainer Mick Ruis. “We thought he was going to run a good race. We thought he could run two turns, and now we know he can.”
Off as the 4-5 favorite under jockey Corey Nakatani, Bolt d’Oro broke cleanly from post four in the nine-horse field. Nakatani let 70-1 longshot Take the One O One set the pace up front and held Bolt d’Oro back in second. On their heels was the highly regarded Zatter, owned by Zayat Stables and trained by Bob Baffert, who was the runner-up to Bolt d’Oro last out in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity.
Following Zatter was Texas Wedge and Solomini. Next in line was the Del Mar Juvenile Turf winner, Encumbered, with Continental Divide, Ayacara, and City Plan trailing the field.
Take the One O One comfortably opened up the first half-mile in fractions of :23.17 and :47.23 before Bolt d’Oro added some pressure. On the outside, Solomini was gaining ground as his stablemate, Zatter, and Texas Wedge began to lose it.
Jockey Flavien Prat was pumping on Solomini in the far turn, hoping to make his mount the rising stable star. Nakatani was still sitting quietly on Bolt d’Oro as they approached the turn and had taken over as three-quarters passed in 1:11.88 and powered to a mile in 1:36.96. With the homestretch ahead, Nakatani turned Bolt d’Oro loose. Solomini moved up into second, but there was no catching the favorite as he drew away to win by 7 ¾ lengths. The time was 1:43.54.
The winner paid $3.80, $2.80, and $2.20. Solomini, 3-1, delivered $3.80 and $3.00 to place, and Take the One O One returned $7.00 to show.
Ayacara, Zatter, Encumbered, City Plan, Continental Divide, and Texas Wedge completed the order of finish.
After winning the FrontRunner, a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race, Bolt d’Oro already has Nakatani dreaming big.
“I was more impressed when I watched the replay,” Nakatani said. “I really liked the way he did it. He’s confident wherever he is at, he is a special animal. Mick gave me the instructions and the horse did the rest. I’m looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup as well as the first Saturday in May in Kentucky.”
Bolt d’Oro improved his record to a perfect three-for-three with today’s win and boosted his earnings to $396,000. The 2-year-old colt is sired by Medaglia d’Oro and is out of the A.P. Indy mare Globe Trot. Bred by WinStar Farm, Ruis Racing purchased Bolt d’Oro for $630,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.
Trainer Ruis also has big plans in mind for Bolt d’Oro, but is waiting to see how the he comes out of the race before making definitive plans.
“He always did break well. I just didn’t want to rush him out in his 6 ½ furlong debut or his 7 furlong race,” said Ruis. “Our goal was this race and the Breeders’ Cup, and then give him a chance to grow up. Hopefully what dreams are made of is what this guy might be able to get us to. That’s why we tried to stay on course and not get too excited about the Grade I at Del Mar. That was all on his natural talent.”
By Christine Oser