TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT CAUGHT MY EYES!


A STAR IN THE MAKING DAZZLED ON DEBUT!




On the closing day of Churchill Downs's spring meet -- Sunday June 29, 2025 -- a 2yo colt named Dazzle d'Oro dazzled the six-furlong proceeding in a dazzling performance, covering the distance in a "dazzling" swift 1:08.65 on a fast Churchill Downs main track while beating a stellar group of 10 2yo colts.

Dazzle d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro - Sunnysammi, by First Defense) was a $250,000 KEESEP24 yearling purchase and he is trained by Tom Amoss.

Dazzle d'Oro had seven workouts listed on his DRF past performance with the first on May 6 (2025) working at Keenland at 3 furlongs on a fast track in 37 3/5 seconds (35/64) and his most recent workout was at Churchill Downs on June 18 (2025) when he did it on a fast track at 5 furlongs in 59 3/5 seconds (7/23).

Prior to that last workout he had another five-furlong at Churchill Downs (fast track) on June 11 when he went in 59 4/5 (2/10) and the rest are at Keenland with all works at four furlongs with two of them were bullit works in 46 3/5 and 46 4/5 with the other two were 48 and change.

So Dazzle d'Oro showed brilliance in the morning and he showed that brilliance in his debut race.

Dazzle d'Oro was off among the three quickest from the gate while exiting from post position 4, and he contested the pace with other two fleeted foot rivals for much of the first three furlongs.

The trio, with Dazzle d'Oro being sandwhiched by his two fleeted foot rivals, continued to go at each other while setting very fast fractions of 21.33 seconds, 44.47 seconds, 56.23 seconds, to complete the six-furlong race in 1:08.65.



Very fast for a two-year-old this time of the year.



Sent off as the 9/5 favorite off fast seven workouts, Dazzle d'Oro pulled away from the other two fleeted foot rivals at the top of the stretch while continued strongly to the wire to win by five lengths with the third horse finished 8 lengths further back behind the second place finisher and the rest were one or two lengths in a bunched group behind the third horse.


To put that into perspective, a maiden special weight race for 3yo fillies going one mile on the main track running 22.59 seconds, 45.20 seconds, 1:09.38, 1:21.49, finished in 1:34.03 for the mile race.

This race's fractions were set by a 3yo filly California shipper named Margarita Girl who had three prior race that were very fast running lines, setting very fast fractions in all three of her prior races with 21 and change and 44 and change.

Margarita Girl once again showed her brilliance early speed to make all of the fractions only to fade to next to last in this race.

The point is, without Margarita Girl making all those fractions, the pace of this race would have been much slower, and perhaps the final time as well.


For a better comparison, consider the Bashford Manor Stakes an hour later for two-year-old colts running six furlongs with the fractions of 21.39 seconds, 44.39 seconds, 56.21 seconds, and the finish time of 1:08.61.

The Bashford Manor Stakes won by an 8-1 odd in the betting Romeo with a 5-2 second choice in the betting Comfort finishing second and the 6-5 favorite Password finishing third.


Another better comparison is a race run one and a half hour later in the Debutante Stakes for 2yo fillies at six furlongs with the fractions of 21.29 seconds, 44.82 seconds, 56.88 seconds, and the finish time of 1:09.71.

The Debutante Stakes won by a 3-1 third choice in the betting Percy's Bar with a 43-1 Jaboss in second and a 5-1 fifth choice in third, while the 5/2 favorite Americathegreat finished fourth.


The Bashford Manor race is for horses of the same sex as the race that Dazzle d'Oro race and the finish times are identical for both races with Dazzle d'Oro's time of 1:08.65 while the finish time of the Bashford Manor of 1:08.61 -- exactly the same!

However, the Bashford Manor field contains winners with the winner of that race came out of a stakes race at Saratoga on June 5 (2025) in the (5 1/2 furlongs) Tremont Stakes ($145k) while the race Dazzle d'Oro ran was a maiden special weight race.

Looking at the field of the Bashford Manor I see fast horses particularly the winner (Romeo) who went 22 1/5, 44 4/5, 57 seconds flat in the Tremont Stakes but only to fade to finish third, beaten 11 1/4 lengths.

Romeo, I think, will be a very good horse but maybe suited to sprinting while Dazzle d'Oro will be suited to longer races, in my opinion.


The way he pulled away from his two early speed rivals and at the same time maintained and even increased his margin of victory from other rivals was very impressive.


I'm very excited about this 2yo colt and I can't wait to see him races next, which I think will be the Ellis Juvenile at Ellis Park on August 10 at seven furlongs.

Or he may end up at Saratoga in races like the Saratoga Special on August 2 and/or Hopeful Stakes in September.

Knowing Tom Amoss is a native of Kentucky and based his horses at Ellis Park I think he will send Dazzle d'Oro to the Ellis Juvenile instead -- that is the most likely race for Dazzle d'Oro.

Stay tuned!



P.S.


This past weekend we got to see Hambletonian prep races when Super Chapter trots away in Friday's $300,000 Grade 2 MGM Yonkers Trot from well off-the-pace but still having plenty in reserve to secure a 1:54.3 victory as the 1/9 favorite.

Lookout for Super Chapter in the Hambletonian and he will be a force to be reckoned with in that race comes August 2, 2025.


Another dangerous horse and a force to be reckoned with (in the Hambletonian) is Gap Kronos S who won his Hambletonian prep race, the Frank Reynolds Memorial at The Meadowlands this weekend (June 28), pulling away from a very good field of 10 horses.

The most impressive thing about Gap Kronos S in this weekend's race is that, he seemed to have no shot at being in the money at all after breaking from post position 9 and being hung very wide -- about five wide -- in the first turn and continued to be wide on the backstretch when his rivals left no room for him to insert himself in the line.

So the best way for his driver to do was to stay wide and try to hustle to the front before the far turn to avoid being hung three or more wide because other horses were already moving outside to pass the leaders.

Gap Kronos S' driver did just that by hustling his mount very fast approaching the far turn, using a lot of energy in doing so, because the horses to his inside were not going to let anybody go by and cut in front of them -- and rightfully so.

In the end, Gap Kronos S was able to go past the leaders and cut in front of them and continued thereafer willingly while the rest give chase but to no avail as Gap Kronos S had plenty left at the end to win by almost three lengths as the 9/5 favorite.

Very impressive considering the circumstance of the race coming from post 9 and they didn't make it any easier for him to race at all.

A better post position in the Hambletonian and he'll be a force to be reckoned with -- no doubt! -- a live longshot!

He won't be among the favorites but he'll be somewhere at 12-1 or longer in the betting, in my opinion!


Meanwhile, Emoticon Legacy is scheduled to run next in the Zweig on July 3 (2025) at Vernon Downs (NY), running against -- who else? -- last year's (2024) two-year-old champion Maryland.



ENJOY HARNESS RACING THIS WEEKEND EVERYBODY!