Bolt d'Oro an Instant Hit

Edge Racing and Muir Hut Stables' Spun Intended (c, 2, Hard Spun–Flora Dora, by First Dude) ran too good to lose his Oct. 30 debut at Santa Anita, just failing to overcome a brutal trip when dropping a half-length decision to the well-meant Fort Warren (Curlin). The latter earned the 'TDN Rising Star' nod for the win and Saturday afternoon, Spun Intended followed suit with a 'Rising Star'-worthy performance of his own where the surf meets the turf...

Edge Racing and Muir Hut Stables' Spun Intended (c, 2, Hard Spun–Flora Dora, by First Dude) ran too good to lose his Oct. 30 debut at Santa Anita, just failing to overcome a brutal trip when dropping a half-length decision to the well-meant Fort Warren (Curlin). The latter earned the 'TDN Rising Star' nod for the win and Saturday afternoon, Spun Intended followed suit with a 'Rising Star'-worthy performance of his own where the surf meets the turf. Spun Intended was off slowly in that Oct. 30 bow and was last of the octet early before improving on the turn while conceding stacks of ground. He knuckled down determinedly in the final furlong and was gaining inches on Fort Warren, but the wire came a few strides too soon. The chestnut had done his part since with a pair of solid morning trials and never looked like losing Saturday. Sent off at odds of 4-5 that represented an overlay, the $100,000 Keeneland September yearling and $125,000 OBS March breezer (:21 1/5) showed good pace from gate four and advanced without being asked for much by Mike Smith to take up the running after an opening couple of furlongs in :21.95. Hugging the fence into the final five-sixteenths of a mile, having cut the half-mile in a slick :44.20, Spun Intended was a bit tardy in switching his leads, but carried an unassailable advantage into the final panel and trotted in to score by 6 1/2 emphatic lengths. Spun Intended is an 11th 'TDN Rising Star' for Hard Spun and is the first foal out of Flora Dora, winner of the 2015 My Dear Girl S. of the Florida Stallion Series and the 2016 Busanda S. She was also third to Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in that year's GI CCA Oaks. A half-sister to SW Lindisfarne (City Zip), Flora Dora is the dam of a yearling Nyquist colt that was bought back on a bid of $185,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Her foal of 2022 is a filly by Gun Runner and she was most recently bred to Candy Ride (Arg).