Bolt The Duer placed on Lasix after blood found

Trainer Pete Foley told harnessracing.com Thursday morning that tests run Wednesday on Bolt The Duer at Rood & Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington, Ky., showed the 3-year-old colt pacer had blood in his lungs and will now be placed on Lasix.

"We had him on the treadmill and they couldn't see anything in the heart, so they scoped him and still couldn't see anything,” said Foley of the winner of the Adios in a world-record 1:47.4. "It wasn't until they went in and put fluid in his lungs and drew it back and saw the problem there.”

Foley said in looking back that the problem started in the Sept. 20 Little Brown Jug eliminations when the colt paced a :30 second quarter while on the lead but was unable to hold off Michael's Power in the stretch and lost by a head. Foley said prior to the race that if Bolt The Duer didn't win his Jug elim he'd scratch from the second heat, and the trainer followed through on his statement.

Bolt The Duer then started in the $510,300 Tattersalls on Oct. 6 at The Red Mile and again had the lead at the half but faded to last in the 12-horse field. As a result of that effort Foley sent the colt to Rood & Riddle.

"At least we identified the problem that seems to have started in the Jug,” he said. "He'll now also have five days in a hyperbaric chamber now in addition to the medicine. It doesn't look possible for the Breeders Crown so we'll probably just qualify him and then get ready for the Messenger.”

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