Bolo's Best Effort Could Surface in Derby
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When the connections of Bolo look for a reason why the third-place Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) finisher could jump up and win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), the dirt surface at Churchill Downs provides some hope.
In recent years the Derby has been kind to horses with some affinity for turf.
• Barbaro, by Dynaformer, won the Laurel Futurity on turf at 2 and opened his 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Tropical Park Derby (gr. III) on the turf at Calder Race Course before taking the 2006 Derby.
• Big Brown , by Boundary, won his maiden race debut in his juvenile season on turf at Saratoga Race Course before winning the 2008 Derby.
• Animal Kingdom , by champion grass horse Leroidesanimaux, placed in an allowance/optional claiming race on the turf at Gulfstream Park and won the Vinery Spiral Stakes (gr. III) on the Polytrack at Turfway Park before taking the 2011 Derby.
"Every horse is different, but historically, some grass horses have fared well on this surface, so we hope this horse does the same," said Bolo's trainer Carla Gaines.
Golden Pegasus Racing and Earle Mack's Bolo, from the first crop of Temple City , made his first three career starts on turf, registering wins in a maiden race at Del Mar and closing out his 2014 season with a score in the Eddie Logan Stakes on the Santa Anita Park grass. Temple City, who stands for 12,500 at Spendthrift Farm, is a son of Dynaformer.
While Gaines said Bolo worked well on the dirt, she started him on turf because of that breeding and the way the race schedule fell. After he turned 3, Gaines said there was a shortage of turf races for 3-year-olds in Southern California so she tried him on dirt. In his first start, Bolo finished third in the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II), just 1 3/4 lengths behind winner Dortmund.
BALAN: Derby All About Opportunity for Bolo, Gaines
"He always trained well on the dirt and after that fall meet, there weren't any grass races," Gaines said. "We had a really good horse who trained well on the dirt and had been very, very impressive on the grass, but now there were no grass races. We gave it a whirl and here we are."
Regular exercise rider Tony Rubalcava said Bolo is handling the dirt surface at Churchill better than the dirt at Santa Anita Park.
"He just glides through it," Rubalcava said, noting that at Santa Anita, Bolo would lift his front feet more than necessary during his stride. "But here he's been straight and fantastic."
Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift, Bolo enters the Derby off a third-place effort in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), where he finished 6 1/2 lengths behind Dortmund. Gaines said Bolo has established himself as a top horse and deserves a chance in the Derby.
"He's enjoying the whole experience and his training has been great. He's a really special horse, a really good horse, maybe arguably better on the grass. We're just enjoying it," Gaines said. "He loves (this surface). He really loves it. Tony said he likes this track better than Santa Anita. But I also heard that Dortmund did too, so I was like, 'darn, that big ol' moose again.'"