No Preakness 2018 for Bolt d'Oro; pointed to Met Mile

For Bolt d'Oro, it's on to Plan...D?

XBTV's Zoe Cadman reported Sunday morning, via owner/trainer Mick Ruis, that the colt will bypass the 2018 Preakness Stakes in favor of the Grade 1 Met Mile, which will match him against older horses on the June 9 Belmont Stakes undercard.

• Last Sunday, Ruis told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Bolt d'Oro would point toward the Grade 1 Pacific Classic later this summer, with a race such as the Ohio or Indiana Derby first.

• By mid-week, Ruis had the Preakness back on the table, with other options the June 2 Penn Mile on turf or the Woody Stephens, a seven-furlong sprint on Belmont Stakes day.

• Ruis then stated the Preakness would be Bolt d'Oro's spot, assuming he got a fast track.

• On Sunday, the Met Mile became the target.

To add to all of this, Corey Nakatani, Bolt d'Oro's original rider who was last on in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will have the mount. Javier Castellano rode Bolt d'Oro in his first two starts this year before Victor Espinoza was in the irons for the Derby.

In the Met Mile, he'll face stiff competition, including from recent Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Mind Your Biscuits. But Bolt d'Oro should receive a break when it comes to assigned weights given his age. Honour and Glory in 1996 is the last 3-year-old winner of the race formally known as the Metropolitan Handicap.

The Met Mile first shifted to the Belmont undercard in 2014 as the New York Racing Association began stacking major stakes onto single cards.