Bolt d'Oro, Justify Square Off in Santa Anita Derby

The rematch may be off, but a showdown is still on for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 7.

With the recent injury to McKinzie, who was scheduled to run in the race, but has since been taken out of consideration for the Triple Crown races, trainer Bob Baffert will send another highly regarded colt out to challenge Bolt d'Oro in the 1 1/8-mile test at Santa Anita Park in Justify.

BALAN: McKinzie to Miss Triple Crown Series

Owned by China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm, Justify rocketed into the discussion as a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) contender with a 6 1/2-length optional-claiming allowance win going a mile at Santa Anita March 11. The response was so swift, within a few hours Justify pushed past Bolt d'Oro and McKinzie—who a day prior, dueled to the wire in a thrilling San Felipe Stakes (G2)—in the third pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager to be the favorite (6-1) among individual horses.

BALAN: Justify Romps Again in Second Start

"We weren't really thinking about this point," Baffert said of Justify's quick ascent to grade 1 competition, which began with a seven-furlong debut win Feb. 18. "We were trying to get him into a maiden race. Mike Marlow, (our assistant) at Los Alamitos, was always raving about him. And then the first time he worked at Santa Anita he acted like he was special."

While Justify brings top-level hype, Ruis Racing's Bolt d'Oro has the résumé. When McKinzie was disqualified from first in the San Felipe March 10, it gave Bolt d'Oro his third graded win, to go along with a pair of grade 1 races during his 2-year-old season—the Del Mar Futurity and the FrontRunner Stakes.

"To be honest with you, when we got put up through the disqualification I almost thought I was going to have to carry him there to the winner circle, because he was dead tired," said owner and trainer Mick Ruis. "I mean, he gave it his all. But to our surprise ... he cleaned up all his dinner, and hasn't missed a meal since and he's training incredible."

BALAN: Bolt d'Oro Defeats McKinzie Via DQ in San Felipe

Baffert has long expressed admiration for Bolt d'Oro and that sentiment grew after the San Felipe battle with McKinzie. Ruis, who watches Justify train on a daily basis at Santa Anita, feels similarly about his opponent, and has even shifted his Medaglia d'Oro  colt into the category of underdog.

"I look at that horse train and look at that horse work and it's like, 'wow.'" Ruis said. "I remember back, when American Pharoah  won before he was going to the Derby. And I told my son, who was once a jockey—I said, 'You know, I've never seen a horse move more fluidly than America Pharoah.' And sure enough he went on to win the Triple Crown. And you look at Justify—boy, he is about as smooth as you want in a horse.

"And he hasn't done anything wrong, and I'm actually going into this like we're the underdog here again. So hopefully we can compete against Bob's horse."

The rest of the Santa Anita field features a couple maidens, and two more maiden winners, but also another graded stakes victor flying under the radar.

Not long ago OXO Equine's Instilled Regard was the hot horse on the Derby trail, following his 3 3/4-length win in the Jan. 13 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. But after a fourth-place run in the Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2)—where he was beaten 2 1/2 lengths by winner Bravazo—the Derby buzz moved on to the next best thing.

"All the horses at this time of the year are under a microscope and all the horses who are coming up get all the press, but we've been in the business a long time and we know that," Hollendorfer said.

The Arch colt, who was a $1.05 million purchase out of the 2017 Ocala Breeders' Sales March sale of 2-year-olds in training, has always been considered a horse who would get better at longer distances, so the stretch out to 1 1/8 miles should work in Instilled Regard's favor. And unlike his Risen Star run, he enters the Santa Anita Derby fresh.

"We've had a little space between races, so we feel good about that, and he's had some good works," Hollendorfer said. "We thought we had a horse for the Derby trail (earlier in his career) and we'll find out Saturday."

Baffert also stressed the importance of 3-year-olds handling the 1 1/8-mile distance for the first time.

"At a mile and an eighth they start separating themselves," Baffert said. "At a mile and a mile and a sixteenth, everyone is there with you. We know (Justify is) a really talented horse, but it's going to be a good test for him."

Entries: Santa Anita Derby (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 07, 2018, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo
• 3:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Instilled Regard (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Jerry Hollendorfer	-
2	Orbit Rain (KY)	Brice Blanc	124	Mick Ruis	-
3	Bolt d'Oro (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Mick Ruis	-
4	Jimmy Chila (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	124	Doug F. O'Neill	-
5	Pepe Tono (KY)	Victor Espinoza	124	Victor L. Garcia	-
6	Justify (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	-
7	Core Beliefs (KY)	Tyler Baze	124	Peter Eurton	-