Geroux to ride Bolt d'Oro in Met Mile

ELMONT, N.Y. - Due to a light weight assignment, Florent Geroux will ride Bolt d’Oro in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park, owner/trainer Mick Ruis said Sunday.

Ruis had planned to reunite Bolt d’Oro with Corey Nakatani in the Met Mile, but Nakatani - who rode Bolt d’Oro in all his races at age 2 - will not be able to make the weight assignment of 114 pounds.

“Corey can only do 120, so we’d be giving up those six pounds,” said Ruis, who added that Geroux “makes [114] without cutting weight.”

On Sunday, at Keeneland, Geroux got acquainted with Bolt d’Oro, guiding him through a half-mile workout in 48.40 seconds.

“He went perfect, in hand, easy, galloped out seven eighths,” Ruis said. “He was within himself, looking forward to Saturday.”

Bolt d’Oro will try to become the first 3-year-old since Honour and Glory in 1996 to win the Metropolitan.

Mind Your Biscuits, two-time winner of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, will be the 122-pound starting highweight in the Met Mile, which is likely to draw a field of nine when entries are taken and post positions assigned on Tuesday.

Others pointing to the race with their weight assignments, and expected riders, are: Bee Jersey (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Good Samaritan (Jose Ortiz, 118), McCraken (Brian Hernandez Jr, 118), Awesome Slew (John Velazquez, 117), Ransom the Moon (Flavien Prat, 117), and Warrior’s Club (Luis Saez, 116), and Discreet Lover (Manny Franco, 115).