Gold sees a gem in Blonde Bomber

In 2010, trainer Stanley Gold brought a 2-year-old filly relatively unknown outside of her home base in south Florida to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. He left town with a champion.

Seven years later, Gold is hopeful he might have another Awesome Feather on his hands in the Arindel homebred Blonde Bomber, who will head to Del Mar for the 2017 Juvenile Fillies off an impressive victory two weeks ago in the one-mile Our Dear Peggy Stakes.

Blonde Bomber, a daughter of Fort Larned, has improved with both experience and distance. She took her five starts to win a maiden race, and in her next start she turned in her best effort yet in the Our Dear Peggy at Gulfstream on Sept. 30. In a race switched from the turf to the main track, she drew away from just off the pace to win by 7 1/4 widening lengths.

On Monday, Blonde Bomber looked as sharp as ever working five furlongs from the 4 1/2-furlong pole in 1:00.03. She completed her final quarter beyond the wire in 22.91 under some urging before galloping out six furlongs around the clubhouse turn in 1:14.26 with former jockey Jocelyne Kenny aboard.

“That’s about what I expected,” Gold said. “She’s a little bit on the nervous side, but she’s settled down a lot since we began stretching her out in her races. Two turns is what she really wants to do. In her mind, she just didn’t want to have to be rushed in her early sprint races like you have to do here early in the meet. Once we got to a mile, she was really in her element.”

Gold is in no way comparing Blonde Bomber to Awesome Feather, who was unbeaten in five starts and had swept all three legs of the filly division of the Florida Stallion Series at Calder prior to leaving the area for the first time to run in the Breeders’ Cup. She then showed the world she was more than just a statebred sensation, rallying to a 2 1/4-length triumph in the Juvenile Fillies, and sewing up an Eclipse Award for Gold and owner-breeder Fred Brei.

Speaking of Blonde Bomber, Gold said: “The way she drew off in her last start, she just might be for real. Awesome Feather was a somewhat more seasoned filly when we went to the Breeders’ Cup, and she’d already done it five times while Blonde Bomber has just come into her own in her last two. But I remember saying back then with Awesome Feather that I can’t say she’s that good just yet, but I couldn’t say she wasn’t, either. And while obviously it’s a huge step up, I feel the same way about this filly, too.”

Blackout’s first start as gelding

Blackout will make his Florida turf debut in a field of older grass specialists at a mile in Thursday’s $44,000 allowance headliner.

The French-bred Blackout began his career in Great Britain before joining trainer Mark Casse’s barn during the fall 2016. All five of his U.S. appearances have come at different venues, with his lone triumph a last-to-first entry-level allowance win a year ago at Belmont Park. Blackout has been gelded since his last start, which came over a sloppy main track at Gulfstream Park in January.