Bolt d'Oro starts slowly, finishes quickly in San Felipe work

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bolt d’Oro’s workout Monday morning at Santa Anita, his main piece of work prior to his 3-year-old debut 12 days hence in the San Felipe Stakes, was a microcosm of his preparation this winter. He started off behind and finished well.

Bolt d’Oro missed some training time earlier this meet, which caused him to skip an intended comeback race in the San Vicente. His work Monday was a demanding six-furlong move from the gate, with a gallop-out to a mile. He just needed an extra moment to get started.

When the gate opened, Bolt d’Oro came out about two lengths behind his less-accomplished stablemate Eskimo Roses. He got into gear quickly, though, then polished off his workmate through the lane before being asked to go out well past the wire under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who was in town for the drill and got aboard Bolt d’Oro for the first time.

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Castellano said that after loading in the gate and waiting for it to open, and waiting, Bolt d’Oro “kind of fell asleep a little bit.”

“But after crossing the chute, he jumped right in the bridle,” Castellano said. “The whole purpose today was not to go head and head. Get some dirt. Relax. I like the way he did it. At the three-eighths pole, he could have gone by, but I wanted to take my time. Be patient. In the stretch, he switched leads and leveled off.”

Bolt d’Oro was given an official time of 1:12, the best time of eight at the distance Monday. Gary Young, the well-respected private clocker, had Bolt d’Oro going out seven furlongs in 1:25.20 and up a mile in 1:40.40.

“I asked him a little bit near the wire, and he got back in the bridle and kept going,” Castellano said.

Mick Ruis, who owns and trains Bolt d’Oro, said Bolt d’Oro would have one more work, an easy half-mile Sunday.

“It’s going to be tough going in off workouts, but if anyone can do it he can,” Ruis said. “Every work has moved him up.”

Bolt d’Oro is expected to face the likes of McKinzie or possibly Solomini in the San Felipe on March 10.