Bling On the Music earns shot at Grade 2 Pocahontas

Bling On the Music will soon take her show to Churchill Downs.

The undefeated filly is being pointed to the Grade 2 Pocahontas after her 13-length romp over male rivals in the $100,000 Gold Rush Futurity last Saturday at Arapahoe Park.

“She earned a shot with that,” said J.R. Caldwell, who trains Bling On the Music for Keene Thoroughbreds.

The Pocahontas, a 1 1/16-mile race on Sept. 17, is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Bling On the Music has won her three starts by a combined 26 1/4 lengths. She won a maiden special weight and a division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity at Lone Star Park and then met open company in the Gold Rush.

Bling On the Music broke from the rail at Arapahoe, dueled through quick fractions with stakes winner Crosscheck Carlos, and went on to cover six furlongs in 1:10.30. For the effort, she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 80.

“She’s a talented filly,” Caldwell said. “She came into this race better than any of her races, and you hate to be too confident, but I didn’t think they would outrun her. But then you start worrying about the altitude, how things will come together, and you hope it all works out. It worked out perfectly.”

Caldwell said Bling On the Music is back home at her base of Remington Park. The win at Arapahoe was a first for Caldwell, who grew up in Idaho and later raced in bordering Wyoming. The weekend trip to Colorado brought back fun memories for Caldwell, 41.

“I basically ran my Dad’s barn at Wyoming Downs,” Caldwell said. “We never started a horse at Arapahoe. It was too tough. That was like going to Santa Anita for us!”

Country Candy, another quality 2-year-old for Caldwell and Keene Thoroughbreds, is scheduled to run Aug. 27 at Evangeline Downs in the $65,000 Princess, said Caldwell. Country Candy will enter off a runner-up finish in the Prairie Gold Lassie at Prairie Meadows.

◗ The multiple stakes winner Bayerd is set to make his turf debut in Friday night’s eighth race at Remington. The five-furlong allowance sprint has a purse of $40,000. Iram Diego has the mount for Clark Brewster and trainer Steve Asmussen.

◗ Evangeline Downs director of racing Chris Warren said the Opelousas, La., track was set to resume racing Wednesday night after missing last Friday and Saturday due to flooding in the area.