by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — He’s not the stoutest or tallest horse, but when Bolt The Duer is on his way to the paddock he makes sure everyone gets out of his way.

“I have two people walk him there because he’s like a lion,” said his trainer, Peter Foley. “He’s a real handful and screams the whole way. He’s tough to handle.”

The 4-year-old son of Ponder-Wonderbolt, owned by All Star Racing, has collected a little more than $1.26 million from his 32-17-5-0 record. He is a two-time Kentucky Sire Stakes champion and world record holder on a five-eighths-mile oval with a lifetime mark of 1:47.4f, which he established in last year’s $500,000 Adios final at The Meadows.

From five engagements this year, the stallion has already earned $144,500 with triumphs in the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational on May 25 at Hoosier Park and the $50,000 Ben Franklin Consolation at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on June 29 in a track record 1:47.4 that also tied his all-age world record on a five-eighths-mile track.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Bolt The Duer won the $50,000 Ben Franklin Consolation in 1:47.4, which tied his all-age world record on a five-eighths-mile track.

Bolt The Duer’s next performance will be on Saturday (July 6), when he will leave from post four in the second of two eliminations for the William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands.

Unable to reach the Ben Franklin final after a tight inside trip, the stallion will face 2011 North America Cup victor Up The Credit, 2011 2-year-old divisional champion Sweet Lou, and the Ben Franklin second place finisher Pet Rock. He will also have to contend with speedster Hurrikane Kingcole, the outstanding Aracache Hanover, last year’s Cane Pace winner Dynamic Youth, and the rejuvenated Fred And Ginger.

If Bolt The Duer turns in the performance Foley feels he is capable of and is at the gate for next week’s final, the waters certainly will not become any shallower. The other elimination features $5 million man and former Pacer of the Year Foiled Again, 2011 O’Brien Award winner Warrawee Needy, last year’s 3-year-old divisional champion Heston Blue Chip, the outstanding Golden Receiver and the vastly improved Razzle Dazzle.

With one of the deepest older pacer divisions in recent years, Bolt The Duer will not have very many easy miles and week in and week out his competition will be fierce. Foley, however, has a great deal of confidence in his horse.

“We decided not to go to the Breeders Crown with him last year to give him some time off and get him ready for this year,” Foley said. “These are probably some of the best owners I have ever had and they wanted to do the right thing for the horse. There are definitely a lot of good horses out there right now and post position as well as trip will make a difference, but this horse has great gate speed and I’ve even told people I think he can pace in 1:46.3 this year. He is a very fast horse.”

After finishing second in his Little Brown Jug elimination last year, Bolt The Duer was scratched from the final and then turned in two perplexing performances, a sixth in a $100,600 Bluegrass Stakes split and 12th and last in the $510,300 Tattersalls Pace, both at The Red Mile.

Once his conditioner pinpointed the issue, he finished off the season with victories in the $415,820 Messenger and $130,000 Cleveland Classic, with a fourth in the $176,663 Matron sandwiched in between.

“After those two starts at Lexington we were scratching our heads,” Foley said. “That’s when we took him to Rood and Riddle where they put him on the treadmill and scoped him. They still didn’t find any blood until they flushed his lungs. It was a big relief and we put him in the hyperbaric chamber for one hour every day for a week and put him on Lasix. He just turned around after that and has been a bearcat ever since.”

Like last year, Bolt The Duer will have a judiciously managed campaign with his races spaced out with a championship as the final goal.

“This year’s group of horses could be one of the best ever assembled in the history of the sport,” Foley said. “But I like our chances.

“I knew we were in trouble for making the Franklin final when we had the six hole, but I was very pleased with how he raced still (fourth) and then of course I couldn’t be happier with how he went in the consolation. I was also pleased with his first race back this year (Meadowlands Maturity, fourth) as it was his first start and I think he’s as good as any of them.

“He is a very, very fast horse and just has such a great amount of desire. He might not be the biggest horse, but he has so much determination.”

Below are the fields for the William R. Haughton Memorial eliminations.

1st elimination
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Golden Receiver-Corey Callahan-Mark Harder-9-2
2-Warrawee Needy-Jody Jamieson-Carl Jamieson-4-1
3-A Rocknroll Dance-Ron Pierce-Jim Mulinix-12-1
4-Sapphire City-Andy Miller-Paul Blumenfeld-20-1
5-Hugadragon-David Miller-Ron Burke-2-1
6-Heston Blue Chip-Tim Tetrick-Linda Toscano-3-1
7-Razzle Dazzle-John Campbell-Mark Silva-5-1
8-Our Lucky Chip-Tyler Buter-Amber Buter-15-1
9-Foiled Again-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-2-1

2nd elimination
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Aracache Hanover-John Campbell-Gregg McNair-15-1
2-Bettor’s Edge-Tim Tetrick-Linda Toscano-20-1
3-Fred And Ginger-Ron Pierce-Ron Burke-9-2
4-Bolt The Duer-Mark MacDonald-Peter Foley-2-1
5-Up The Credit-Jody Jamieson-Carl Jamieson-6-1
6-Pet Rock-David Miller-Virgil Morgan, Jr.-5-2
7-Hurrikane Kingcole-Corey Callahan-John McDermott-12-1
8-Dynamic Youth-Andrew McCarthy-Aaron Lambert-9-2
9-Sweet Lou-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-4-1