Blue skies for Blue Tone

DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Bob Hess Jr. said he’s not going to get overly ambitious just yet with Blue Tone, who returned from a nine-month layoff with a sharp victory in a second-level allowance race on Sunday.

“We don’t want to get in any big hurry with him,” Hess said. “We’ll look for another allowance race or a restricted stakes, whether it’s in three weeks or eight weeks.”

Blue Tone, a 5-year-old gelding by Birdstone, was a powerful allowance winner last summer at Del Mar but had been off since October after suffering a hairline fracture to a hock.

“It wasn’t major, but it was significant,” Hess said. “He didn’t need surgery, just plenty of time for it to heal. He’s a massive horse.”