Bar of Gold tries turf in Yaddo
The $150,000 Yaddo, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for New York-bred fillies and mares, has a full field of 12, plus four also-eligibles waiting to get in. The known quantities include The Tea Cups and Neck of the Moon. They will face Bar of Gold, who will be making her turf debut but is 4 for 4 against New York-bred company.
The Tea Cups won the Yaddo a year ago for trainer Jeremiah Engelhart, and in her first start of the year, she closed stoutly to win the Mount Vernon on May 30 at Belmont Park. She has since traveled to Woodbine, where she was ninth in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly.
Neck of the Moon, conditioned by Chad Brown, took a while to work through her allowance conditions but enters off a close second in the open Perfect Sting Stakes. In the Mount Vernon, she closed late to be third, beaten three-quarters of a length by The Tea Cups.
Bar of Gold has never won an open race, but she has turned in some very big efforts for trainer John Kimmel against top company. Last year at 3, she finished second in the Grade 1 Test, Grade 2 Prioress, and Grade 2 Raven Run.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Bar of Gold. Makes her turf debut, but her dam had three turf wins, including the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Although her most recent race in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss did not go according to plan after she ended up battling for the lead four wide, she came out of that sprint in good condition, according to Kimmel, who has since breezed her twice on turf.
“From a pedigree standpoint, her mother, Khancord Kid, was all grass,” Kimmel said. “Medaglia d’Oro has a number of decent turf runners. Running her on grass is something we’ve always fooled around with.”
Khancord Kid won the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on turf in Florida for her owners and breeders Chester and Mary Broman, who also bred and own Bar of Gold.
Kimmel said he was “very impressed” with Bar of Gold’s first turf breeze and that Joel Rosario, who picks up the mount Friday, “was very complimentary of how she handled the turf” after her second breeze.
“When I’ve worked her, she gets into a nice, comfortable rhythm,” Kimmel said. “That’s the key. We’re going to try and come out quiet and let her settle into stride. If she’s pulling and tugging, she’s probably not going to finish up how we’d like.”