O'Neill sends out juvenile colt

ARCADIA, Calif. - Doug O’Neill, who won his second Kentucky Derby last Saturday with juvenile champion Nyquist, will start his first 2-year-old colt of the year Friday, when Bourque runs in a maiden special weight race at 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita.

O’Neill has a solid record with first-time starters and expects Bourque to be prominent in the sprint.

“He’s got fairly good speed,” O’Neill said. “He’s not a rocket.

“He’s doing everything right. We haven’t asked him for a ton in the morning.”

Bourque has worked steadily, including a half-mile from the gate in 47.60 seconds on May 2.

By Congrats, Bourque was purchased for $70,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training in Florida in March. The colt is owned by Eric Johnson, a defenseman for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

Bourque is part of a field of seven that includes five first-time starters. High Class Taste, by Taste of Paradise, was second in a trial race at Turf Paradise on April 19. Victor Stone, by Victor’s Cry, was a troubled fifth in a maiden special weight race at Los Alamitos on April 29.