Embolden Facing New Challenge In Springboard Mile

When stakes winning 2-year-old Embolden lines up in the Springboard Mile on Sunday, he will be one of the most traveled horses in the race with starts on four different tracks coming into this race.

The son of The Factor may have experience on his side but he’ll also be trying something new when stretching out to two turns for the first time. 

For trainer Michael Stidham, the Springboard Mile was the perfect time to stretch out with $400,000 and 10 Kentucky Derby points to the winner on the line.

“It’s more or less looking for some race to stretch out and certainly the $400,000 purse played a big part in it,” he said. “It just made sense to go to the Mile, try him at the added distance, and while doing so run for a big purse.”

While returning to dirt for the first time since his debut in the Springboard Mile, Embolden has proven to be adapt on both surfaces when running against other stakes winners.

He lined up in a tough race for his debut with winner Meru winning a stakes next out before finishing second in the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes. Embolden then moved to turf where he won two straight at Colonial Downs, including the Jamestown Stakes. His final start on turf saw him finish third behind eventually Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Four Wheel Drive.

“The reason we went to the turf is that he’s a Virginia-bred and Colonial was starting up with good money for the Virginia-breds. There was a $100,000 stake coming up called the Jamestown that he was eligible for versus the Virginia-bred so it made sense for us to try the grass and he handled it well so we kept him on it,” Stidham explained. “Just watching the horse train, which obviously he trains on dirt every day, we felt that he gets over the dirt just as well as he gets over the grass. He’s got the right temperament and we feel like he’ll handle the two turns and the dirt.”

Stidham does have concerns about stretching Embolden out after five starts sprinting but he thinks that drawing the eight hole is an advantage for the colt with it allowing Brian Hernandez Jr. to position him just outside the speed. From there, he plans on letting Hernandez make the call depending on how the race shapes up.

While the concerns are there, some of the pressure is off with the colt going off as the third shot on the board at 9/2 behind Brad Cox’s Answer In.

“I would say any time you’re changing distances and you’re navigating two turns with a horse for the first time who has already run five times sprinting certainly it adds a new dimension,” Stidham said. “So just seeing how he handles the two turns is the biggest challenge. It’s no easy spot, there’s a couple horses in here who have run really well already also. It’s a tough spot and his first time around two turns so we’re going to learn more about him in this race.”

The Springboard Mile goes off at 8:19 p.m. Central time and headlines a 13-race card that includes six stakes races.