On the day that the world said goodbye to his sire Galileo, Bolshoi Ballet was looking to return to the familiar confines of the winner's circle in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Fresh off a win on Santa Barbara in the Belmont Oaks, Ryan Moore was more than happy to guide Bolshoi Ballet to another Grade 1 victory for the colt's legendary sire.
Breaking from post two, the son of Galileo hung toward the middle of the field of nine, content to sit behind Hard Love on the lead with Sainthood and Safe Combat behind him for the first part of the ten furlongs. Hard Love maintained his lead by a length on the backstretch, with Cellist moving past Sainthood to take over second as they approached the final turn.
On the turn, Cellist took over the lead, with Hard Love just behind him on the hedge as Bolshoi Ballet went wide and then accelerated into the stretch. That turn of foot allowed Bolshoi Ballet to take over the lead within the race's last sixteenth of a mile, with Tokyo Gold surging late to take second and Cellist holding on for third. Du Jour, Sainthood, Palazzi, Hard Love, Safe Conduct, and Hidden Enemy rounded out the field. The final time for the mile and a quarter was 2:04.62.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Bolshoi Ballet follows up his seventh-place finish in the Group 1 Epsom Derby with today's victory in the G1 Belmont Derby, the first leg of the New York Turf Triple, improving his record to four wins in seven lifetime starts for total winnings of $638,434. The 3-year-old colt is by Galileo out of the French mare Alta Anna, by Anabaa. He was bred by Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock and is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg.
Ryan Moore saw the slow pace of the Belmont Derby and knew what Bolshoi Ballet needed. “It felt like they were going very slow. This horse, we know he gets the 10 [furlongs] very well. It was a messy race and he won comfortably without being able to show how good he is. We're happy with him. He's the most beautiful horse you'll see. He's a real athlete. He's a class horse.
“With a furlong to run, you could see he was just waiting; having a look and his ears were going. He's still getting used to knowing what he has to do. We think there's more to come. Potentially, I suppose he could be a Breeders' Cup Turf horse.”
T. J. Comerford, assistant to trainer O'Brien, was pleased with the colt's performance on less-than-ideal turf. “The ground was probably a little bit slow for him, because he likes quick ground, but he did well at the finish because he had a good gallop and that helped him. Ideally, he probably wants tougher ground. In fairness to him, his class pulled it out at the end of the day and you have to be happy with it.”
Bolshoi Ballet paid $4.10, $3.20, and $2.80. Tokyo Gold paid $10.60 and $6.20. Cellist paid $7.20 to show.
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