What Happened To Bolt d’Oro?

Two months out from the Kentucky Derby, the leading favorite at most online racebooks was a colt named Bolt d’Oro, who – while not the American champion 2-year-old last season – is considered by many to be among the best 3-year-olds in the world right now. However, with horse racing futures as volatile as they are (especially when a big race like the Kentucky Derby is coming up), the betting boards tend to be all over the place, and a large favorite can become an afterthought in just a few weeks’ time. That seems to be what happened to Bolt d’Oro.

When the top Grade I horses were first listed at all the major betting sites, Bolt d’Oro was a reasonably solid favorite compared to the other potential Kentucky Derby runners. He was trending atop the boards at about +600, with the rest of the ponies a few hundred points back. However, after an early April showing at the Santa Anita Derby that had Bolt d’Oro finish in second place three lengths back of winner Justify, the latter has shot up the boards to become the current Kentucky Derby favorite, posting odds of +400 at Bovada and +225 at SportsBetting. Bolt d’Oro, on the other hand, has dropped into the middle of the pack at these same books, where he currently has +900 and +575 odds, respectively.

Adding to the questions around Bolt d’Oro heading into the Kentucky Derby is the fact that he will be carrying his third different jockey in the last six months, with his most recent rider – Javier Castellano – choosing to mount Audible (another highly-regarded horse trending near the top of the futures boards) in the Derby over Bolt d’Oro. That said, KentuckyDerbyPreview.com knows Bolt d’Oro’s new jockey, veteran hall of famer Victor Espinoza, could bring a distinct edge to the colt, as he’s won three Kentucky Derby races to date and clearly understands the intricacies of both stall drawing and the general lines of the track. Espinoza is on record as saying that Bolt d’Oro reminds him of California Chrome, the 2014 Kentucky Derby winner, and that the horse’s experience in big stakes races should be a major factor in his demeanor and temperament come May 5.

If you sign up at Bovada right now, you can still get +900 odds – a very good payout – on Bolt d’Oro to win the Run for the Roses. However, if you wait too long, those odds will probably shrink considerably once the official Derby field is set. Still, once you can get odds on an exacta featuring Bolt d’Oro and Justify to finish one and two (and/or vice versa), you might want to jump on that. Last year’s Derby paid out almost $340 on a $2 exacta.

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