At age two, he won his first three starts, including the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes, before finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
He started his three-year-old campaign by winning the San Felipe Stakes by disqualification and finishing second in the Santa Anita Derby.
[5][6] On September 30, Bolt d'Oro entered the FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita Park as the odds-on favorite in a field of nine.
[7] Bolt d'Oro made his final start of the year in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on November 4.
However, McKinzie was clearly at fault in the second incident and the stewards felt the interference was enough to have cost Bolt d'Oro the race.
[13] The win moved Bolt d'Oro to the top of the NTRA three-year-old poll with 29 first place votes, followed closely by McKinzie.
[14] Veteran sportswriter Steve Haskin called them "two exceptional colts who ran their hearts out, got a lot out of the race, and are for now clear-cut favorites for the Run for the Roses."
Trainer Bob Baffert was originally planning to enter McKinzie for a rematch against Bolt d'Oro, but withdrew the colt due to a minor injury.
Justify went to the early lead and set easy fractions, opening up three lengths on Bolt d'Oro down the backstretch in what was essentially a match race.
Bolt d'Oro was put to a drive as they rounded the final turn and closed to within a length and a half before Justify again drew away for a three-length win.
He raced a few lengths behind a fast early pace set by Promises Fulfilled and Justify then tried to close ground while going wide around the far turn.
[17] Rather than facing Justify again, Ruis opted to enter Bolt d'Oro in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (popularly known as the Met Mile) against older horses.
[18] Bolt d'Oro was subsequently transferred to the stable of Steve Asmussen, who gave the colt some time off after the spring campaign.
"[19] Bolt d'Oro's owner, Mick Ruis, filed a lawsuit in January 2020 against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) following reports that Justify won the 2018 Santa Anita Derby with the drug scopolamine in his system.