Blue Bolt ships to France for Prix Rothschild
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An unbeaten record in Britain this year will make the 4-year-old filly Blue Bolt a heavy favorite in her first trip abroad in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares at a mile at Deauville Racecourse in France.
If Blue Bolt handles the journey, she will be difficult to beat judging from her ascension in the older filly and mare division in recent months. Blue Bolt has won three one-mile races this year.
Trained by Andrew Balding for Juddmonte Farms, Blue Bolt won a minor stakes at Goodwood Racecourse on May 2 and the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 17.
Blue Bolt won for the first time at the highest level in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at a mile at Newmarket on July 10, finishing two lengths in front of Precise, a contender in the $345,800 Prix Rothschild.
In her wins this year, Blue Bolt has raced as a stalker and has been ridden by Colin Keane, who has the mount on Sunday.
Precise, a 3-year-old trained by Aidan O’Brien, had a two-race winning streak end when she was beaten as the 4-5 favorite in the Falmouth, her first start against older fillies and mares. Earlier this year, Precise won two of the leading stakes for 3-year-old fillies in Europe – the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, both Group 1 races at a mile.
Blue Bolt and Precise are two of four foreign runners in the Prix Rothschild, along with Evolutionist, who was fourth in the Falmouth Stakes, and Moon Target, who was fourth in the Coronation.
The leading French-based runners is Green Spirit, a Kentucky-bred 3-year-old by Kingman who is trained by Christopher Head.
Green Spirit was ninth behind Diamond Necklace in the Group 1 French Oaks at 1 5/16 miles at Chantilly Racecourse on June 14, and third by 4 1/2 lengths behind Diamond Necklace in the Group 1 French 1000 Guineas at Longchamp on May 10.
Diamond Necklace is not part of the Prix Rothschild field. Trained by O’Brien, Diamond Necklace extended her unbeaten streak to six races with a comfortable win by 2 3/4 lengths in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at 1 1/4 miles against fillies and mares at Goodwood on Thursday.
The Prix Rothschild is run on a one-mile straightaway. Post time is 10:40 a.m. Eastern or 7:40 a.m. Pacific.
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