Bolt d'Oro, photo by Eric Kalet
A substantial showdown looms in Saturday’s $400,000, Grade II, San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Drama and anticipation surrounds any race that has Kentucky Derby points on the line, but in this race, the drama will go well beyond the Derby points. It will be a matchup between what many experts believe to be the heavyweights of the three-year-old division, headlined by multiple stakes winners, Bolt d’Oro and McKinzie.
Bolt d’Oro took the racing world by storm as a two-year-old, racking up victory after victory. After scoring in his debut, the nimble, bay son of Medaglia d’Oro went on to claim two consecutive Grade 1 races, the Del Mar Futurity, and the FrontRunner Stakes, respectively. Early Derby talk quickly surrounded the agile youngster, and he quickly made his way to the top of many people’s lists. However, May was a long way off, and there was still one more major race to get through as a two-year-old before embarking on a journey to the Twin Spires.
Bolt d’Oro entered the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, expected to waltz over the wire first and maintain his perfect record. But it wasn’t meant to be. Bolt d’Oro finished third that day behind long shot, Good Magic, and Solomini, the runner up. Despite seeing his colt taste defeat for the first time, trainer, Mick Ruis, remained steadfast and confident in his belief that Bolt d’Oro was still the best horse.
Bolt d’Oro was expected to make his first start as a three-year-old in the Grade II, San Vicente Stakes in January, but a pulled muscle put a halt to his racing plans. Fans held their breath to see if the promising colt would bounce back in time to earn enough points for the Kentucky Derby, and at last, it looks like he will get his chance. Ever the champion, Bolt d’Oro recovered from his injury and went right back to work. He has been training phenomenally leading up to his anticipated start in the San Felipe. However, he is an extremely vulnerable favorite. The long layoff combined with the fact that he drew post one will be playing against him for sure, but he appears as poised and ready as he can be. To add to the question marks surrounding this colt, there is a rain storm looming in the forecast, so there is a chance that Bolt d' Oro may not start in this race at all. If the track comes up sloppy, we will have to wait one more week to see if the champ really is back, as the Rebel Stakes is set as a backup plan.
Bolt d’Oro’s main rival comes in the form of a sleek, bay colt by Street Sense. That colt is none other than, McKinzie. The undefeated Bob Baffert trainee will be attempting to keep his record unblemished, as well as establish himself as an early favorite for the run for the roses.
McKinzie turned heads with his impressive maiden win back in October. His running style was so dominant that his connections decided to step things up with him, and entered him in the Grade 1, Los Alamitos Futurity in December. McKinzie won, but he didn’t cross the wire first.
In an extremely controversial running of the race, McKinzie actually finished second behind Solomini, his own stablemate. It was a dramatically close finish that came down to Solomini, McKinzie, and Instilled Regard. The tenacious trio gallantly battled down the entire length of the stretch, all side by side and only separated by frenzied bobs of their heads. But as the determined colts barreled down to the wire, Solomini found more, and pulled ahead of his foes. In the process, he made contact with Instilled Regard, which stewards believed kept the colt from finishing second. As a result, Solomini was disqualified, despite the fact that he had drawn clear of his competition, and McKinzie was declared the winner.
After his controversial victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity, McKinzie went back to winning the old fashioned way. He entered the Grade III, $100,000, Sham Stakes, and won with total ease. It looked more like a casual workout instead of a stakes race, which only added to the charm that the aristocratic colt already possessed. McKinzie glided over the wire by 3 ½ lengths. It was a score that should have him fit and primed for the San Felipe. This time around, things won’t be so easy, but McKinzie appears up for the challenge. While I'm not convinced that McKinzie has what it takes to win the Kentucky Derby, I do think that he is very live and dangerous in the San Felipe.
On paper, the San Felipe Stakes appears to be a two-horse race. However, Bolt d’Oro and McKinzie will have some stiff competition aside from each other, and their fellow rivals should not be dismissed. Lombo, surprise winner of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, is back to prove that his win last time out was no fluke. While the dark, imposing son of Graydar may not have accomplished as much as his peers quite yet, his breakout win in the Robert B. Lewis was impressive, and he deserves not to be overlooked.
When you look at his overall career, Lombo has always been a decent, hard-knocking athlete. Lombo has never finished off the board after his seventh place finish in his debut. He ran a solid third after that, and followed it up with two consecutive wins. The speedy colt has been improving with each start, and will try to steal the show once again on Saturday. Even if he doesn't have what it takes to win, he could make the pace scenario very interesting, and just may hang on to hit the board.
Another top contender in the San Felipe Stakes is the highly talented son of Jimmy Creed, Kanthaka. The big, red horse came roaring down the track like a freight train to win the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes (Gr.2) in January, acing the seven-furlong test in a blazing time of 1:22.62. It was his second win from three lifetime starts, and his first against stakes competition. The 1 1/16 mile journey of the San Felipe will be Kanthaka’s first try around two-turns, but his immense talent and competitive drive has given his connections the confidence to try. It will be interesting to see if his brilliant closing kick can cause the same amount of damage around two turns. If he can go the distance, the others better watch their backs. This horse will be a major threat to the favorites.
We have seen it happen several times this year already. Many of the Kentucky Derby prep races have been stolen by shocking long shots, flashing their hidden talent and large odds as they dash across the wire, spoiling the favorite’s bid for glory. The San Felipe appears to be a chalky race, but in this sport, anything goes. A sneaky long shot to watch out for in this race is maiden winner, Aquila.
Aquila first caught my eye when he was in the OBS Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, last March. The colt was impressive both in looks and in bloodlines, and ended up commanding a price of $685,000. The final bid went to Kaleem Shah, and the colt was sent to trainer, Simon Callaghan to be conditioned. And now, a year after the sale, this colt is on the path to living up to some lofty expectations. This big, hulking, chestnut son of Union Rags has steadily improved with every start. He recovered from a troubled seventh place finish in his debut to run second in his next start. After that, he broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita. The striking, blazed colt wired the field to win by 2 ¼ lengths, completing the race in 1:44.81.
With a pedigree that suggests he will get better with distance, and with each of his races being better than his last, there is a lot to like about Aquila moving forward. He is taking a major step up in class, and having to run with the likes of Bolt d’Oro and McKinzie in your stakes debut will be a demanding challenge, but stranger things have happened in this unpredictable sport. Win or lose on Saturday, I expect Aquila to be a quality racehorse moving forward.
The field for the San Felipe Stakes is loaded with incredible talent and tremendous promise. From established favorites, to steadily improving runners, and daring long shots, this race will have it all on Saturday. All of the horses appear intrepid as they prepare for the epic battle that awaits them. In the end, only one winner will be left standing as he asserts himself as a true Kentucky Derby contender.
Thank you to Eric Kalet for providing the picture of Bolt d'Oro! You can find more of his work here http://erickalet.zenfolio.com/
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