BC Juvenile: Bolt d'Oro tops 13 pre-entries

As dominant as Bolt d’Oro has been in his first three starts, he won’t lack for challengers in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

Twelve horses – including three maidens – were pre-entered against Bolt d’Oro for the Juvenile, including two from the powerful barn of Ireland-based trainer Aidan O’Brien, though one of his is likely to run in the Juvenile Turf instead.

O’Brien pre-entered Group 1 winner U S Navy Flag in the Juvenile and Juvenile Turf, the latter being given first preference. O’Brien also pre-entered Mendelssohn, runner-up to U S Navy Flag in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in both races. Mendelssohn, a half-brother to the multiple champion Beholder, has the Juvenile on dirt listed as his first preference.

After winning his first three starts, including two at Del Mar, Bolt d’Oro figures to be one of the shortest-price favorites in the 13 Breeders’ Cup races. Bolt d’Oro will enter the Juvenile off a dominant 7 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes on Sept. 30 at Santa Anita and has come back with two solid workouts since then. He is trained and owned by Mick Ruis.

Bob Baffert, a three-time BC Juvenile winner, will send out Solomini against Bolt d’Oro. Solomini was second to Bolt d’Oro in the FrontRunner.

“I’m very impressed with all his races,” Baffert said of Bolt d’Oro. “I’ve been watching him here in the mornings, he looks fantastic. We’re doing well. There’s a big gap we need to close.”

Dale Romans and owner Dennis Albaugh finished second in last year’s Juvenile with Not This Time. This year, they will send out Free Drop Billy, who comes off a Grade 1 victory in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and Hollywood Star, runner-up in a pair of graded stakes. Romans shipped both his horses to California early where last weekend they breezed at Santa Anita and this Saturday will breeze at Del Mar.

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Firenze Fire, the Grade 1 Champagne winner, and The Tabulator, the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes winner, are the other stakes winners in this field.

The trio of maidens in the race include Bahamian, ninth in the Grade 1 Champagne, Good Magic, second in the Champagne, and Givemeaminit, third, beaten a neck, in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga.

Chad Brown, trainer of Good Magic, said the potential reward is greater than the risk in trying Good Magic against Bolt d’Oro in the Juvenile.

“This horse has only run a couple of times, but he’s improving, has a pedigree to improve with more distance. His numbers are improving,” Brown said. “I feel like he’s a horse that going to run even better in this third start than his second, and if that happens that could put him right there.”

Hazit and Golden Dragon were both pre-entered in the Juvenile Turf, with that race listed as first preference, but are so far down on the priority list they likely won’t get in, making the Juvenile perhaps an alternative.

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