Caledonia Road nears return

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After turning in a recent work her trainer Ralph Nicks called “outstanding” and “fun to watch,” juvenile filly champion Caledonia Road is getting close to her much-anticipated 3-year-old debut, a race that will serve as a prep for her first major goal of the year, the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park on June 9.

Caledonia Road was absent from the work tab for nearly a month before turning in a half-mile breeze in 48.20 seconds last week at the Palm Meadows training center, where she’s been based since returning to Nicks early this winter.

“She had a little virus – she never missed any training, I just didn’t breeze her until she was back in the feed tub like normal,” said Nicks. “But she’s doing very well now; she really seems to have turned the corner. She finished strong then galloped out in 59 and change when she worked here last week. Like I said, it was really fun to watch. She’s ready to run. She was almost there anyway before I had to back off on her a little bit last month.”

Nicks said he has several options to choose from in the coming weeks for Caledonia Road’s first start since her easy victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall.

“That’s still to be determined,” said Nicks, who planned to work Caledonia at Palm Meadows again on Thursday. “Whenever and wherever it will be, it’s a race that would be nice to win, but is really a stepping-stone for her to get to the Acorn on Belmont Day.”