Champagne, Futurity runners chasing ‘Bolt’ from the blue

By virtue of his dominant performance in last weekend’s Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita, Bolt d’Oro established himself as the star of this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, to be run Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

This weekend, auditions will take place for the supporting cast for the $2 million race, which typically determines the division champion.

Large fields were drawn Wednesday for both the Champagne at Belmont Park and Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, both to be run Saturday. Each Grade 1 race is worth $500,000 and offers a fees-paid berth to the Juvenile. The Champagne is a one-turn mile while the Breeders’ Futurity is a two-turn race at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the Juvenile.

Trainer Ken McPeek will have contenders in both races as Ten City was one of just two stakes winners entered in a field of 13 for the Breeders’ Futurity while second-out winner Honorable Treasure was one of 12 entered in the Champagne. Enticed, a firstout winner at Saratoga, was entered in both races but is likely to run in the Champagne after drawing post 13 at Keeneland, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Ten City, a son of Run Away and Hide, won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs in June. Since then, Ten City has finished third in both the Ellis Park Juvenile and the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs, running evenly in the stretch in both races.

“I think he broke from the gate a little awkwardly in his last two starts,” McPeek said. “He stumbled leaving the gate at Ellis, and in his last race he broke a little clumsily. What I like is he continued to fight back even when he got off a little slow. He kept coming, didn’t throw in the towel. He’s a horse that’s still learning.”

Honorable Treasure, a son of To Honor and Serve, debuted on the turf at Saratoga, finishing fifth, six lengths behind winner Untamed Domain, who recently won the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine. Honorable Treasure was entered for the turf for his second start, but he remained in the field when the race was rained off the turf and he galloped to a 6 1/4-length victory going seven furlongs on dirt. Ezmosh, the horse who ran second, came back to win his next start and is going to run in the Breeders’ Futurity.

McPeek said he ran Honorable Treasure on the turf first out because he wanted to run him around two turns. In his second start, he had a nice outside stalking trip and ran away from the field powerfully to win going away, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

McPeek noted that Honorable Treasure outworked Oskar Blues at Saratoga, and Oskar Blues won his maiden at a big price. McPeek said that is why he left Honorable Treasure in the off-the- turf race.