Top Triple Crown contender Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) breezed five furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita in preparation for next Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby. Working alongside stablemate Midnight Harbor (Midnight Lute), he was clocked in 1:01.20 (11/77). Midnight Harbor was credited with a time of 1:01.60. Click for XBTV video.
“He did everything he needed to do,” said private clocker Toby Turrell. “He finished up real well and was under no real pressure at all. He was right on point.”
A two-time Grade I winner and Eclipse Award finalist last season, Bolt d'Oro was last seen being promoted to first via the much-talked-about DQ of McKinzie (Street Sense) in the Mar. 10 GII San Felipe S. With McKinzie sidelined due to an injury, Bolt d'Oro could instead take on that one's unbeaten stablemate and fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Justify (Scat Daddy). Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will likely make a decision on Justify, who was previously set to ship for the GI Arkansas Derby, after a breeze Monday.
GII Tampa Bay Derby upsetter and 'TDN Rising Star' Quip (Distorted Humor) turned in his final published work before next Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Sunday. Ridden in the drill by his trainer Rodolphe Brisset, the bay colt worked from the gate with stablemate Potomac (Speightstown). Starting behind that one, he was clocked in splits of :12.60, :25 flat and :47.20 before finishing on even terms with his barnmate. His final time was 1:00.40 (2/15).
“I was happy with it,” Brisset said. “We got lucky with the weather having the rain hold off. I had worked him twice on a sealed track at Fair Grounds and was not concerned about having to do that, but you prefer to have the track like it is this morning.”
Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), the likely favorite for next Saturday's GI Ashland S., covered four panels Sunday in Lexington in :47.20 (1/44) alongside 4-year-old gelding Compass Zone (Hard Spun). “That was visually impressive,” said trainer Brad Cox. “I had her going out in 1:00.03 and then 1:13.40 for three-quarters.”
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