NYRA/Adam Coglianese
By Sarah Mace
Chester and Mary Broman homebred Bar of Gold (Medaglia d’Oro), who has been steadily collecting checks in graded stakes company ever since trouncing New York-breds in her first three career starts, returned to state-bred company – and to the winner’s circle – on Monday with a convincing win in the $200,000, one-mile Critical Eye for New York-bred fillies and mares.
Bet down to 3-2 favoritism and with Junior Alvarado in the irons, Bar of Gold broke cleanly from post one and saved ground over the muddy going in third. Meanwhile longshot Perfect Freud and Jules N Rome gunned their way to the front and set a sharp pace, 22.23 for the first quarter mile and 44.84 for the half.
With positions unchanged in the turn, Bar of Gold found running room at the inside at the five-sixteenths pole, snuck on through and gained the lead. Alvarado guided his mount to the outside for the drive and she cruised home a 1 1/2-length winner. Haveyougoneaway, in fourth early, got up for a solid second, followed 1 1/2 lengths back Literata, far back early, who closed well to get third money. [VIDEO]
Alvarado reported, “Everything went perfect. The horses in front of me went very quick. I saved ground the whole way around. Turning for home, around the 5/16 pole, I had plenty of room on the inside to go through. I didn’t have any problems at all with the 1-post.”
“The first couple of races, the horses have been winning coming from the fifth, sixth and seventh lane out. I wasn’t worried about the inside for the first part of the race, but turning for home, I wanted to be on the outside.”
Trainer John Kimmel said, “I was a little worried about the inside draw and whether or not the inside was the good part of the racetrack to be sitting. Basically, my main concern was not being caught up in a speed duel up front. I wanted Junior [Alvarado] to get her in a nice rhythm and if he could get off the fence. We had an opening right outside the quarter-pole and he said he had to take advantage of it. He was worried if he didn’t go then, so he actually called on her a little sooner than he’d like to. But she had enough in the tank to get through there and enough energy to get the job done.”
Bar of Gold has only gone beyond seven furlongs twice before, finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Acorn and fourth in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks.
Kimmel said, “She came back blowing a little bit and I’m kind of wondering if a mile might be the outer limits of her effectiveness, but she got a little bit of class relief today. Maybe, if we’re going to go back in against graded horses, seven-eighths might be her ideal distance. She’s by Medaglia d’Oro and I’ve never taken her out on the turf course, and that might be something where we could just take a shot and see how she handles it. It might be a good space before the races at Saratoga.”
After going unbeaten in her first three starts, Bar of Gold has finished second three times and third once in graded company, including second in the Grade 1 Test to Cavorting. Last out, she finished third behind Paulassilverlining and Cavorting in the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct. Bar of Gold has earned $509,500.
Bar of Gold is the first foal and only starter to date out of Khancord Kid, a Broman homebred by Lemon Drop Kid, also trained by Kimmel, who captured the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes on turf at Gulfstream Park turf in 2010. Chester Broman purchased Khancord Kid’s dam Confidently, an unraced daughter of Storm Cat, at Keeneland’s 2000 January sale of horses of all ages for $1 million
