Bolt d’Oro to skip San Vicente after hiccup

Leading Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Bolt d’Oro will reportedly wait until March to make his seasonal reappearance after encountering an early hiccup on the Triple Crown trail.

The multiple Grade 1 star appeared uncomfortable in his hind end last week, owner/trainer Mick Ruis told Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free on Thursday. Accordingly, his plans to return to the worktab on New Year’s Eve were shelved, and a nuclear scan was performed Wednesday. The diagnostic test revealed nothing amiss, to the relief of Ruis, who believes the mishap was likely no more than a pulled muscle.

Although Bolt d’Oro now has the all-clear, Ruis is in no hurry to tighten the screws. He intends to skip the February 10 San Vicente (G2) in favor of giving him more time, with the March 10 San Felipe (G2) a likely starting point. But the March 17 Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn has emerged as another possible port of call.

In contention for an Eclipse Award as the champion two-year-old male of 2017, Bolt d’Oro began his career with a three-race winning streak including the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and FrontRunner (G1). His sensational victory in the latter made him the 3-5 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), where a brutal trip out wide contributed to his third-place finish behind New York shipper Good Magic.

Purchased for $630,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, the son of Medaglia d’Oro will eventually have a stud career at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, Kentucky.